PKMN Revolution
by Eclipse Wing
Summary: In a dark future, the world has changed. Five years ago, Ash Ketchum died and time ground to a halt. Now, the last few survivers begin a search for the key to a better future, they are plagued at every step by villains, monsters, nightmares, and a dark haunting shadow of the past. Because Ash is dead… isn't he? Pokeshipping, OldRivalShipping
1. The Sun Never Rises

**Chapter 1 – The Sun Never Shines **

"_This world, your future, is a world of perpetual darkness. In this world, the sun never rises, morning never comes__. The darkness persists… forever." _Grovyle

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><p><strong>[10:35AM] – May 16<strong>**th**** 2011 - Pokémon League Ruins **

He didn't know what they were doing here, in the ruins of Indigo Plateau. It was bad enough that his memory was faulty and patchy in places, like a puzzle put together incorrectly, but somehow it was worse that the only place he could recall clearly was here.

The place of his death.

The scholars and League officials were scattered around the great hall, piles of paper, documentations, machinery and sealed Pokéballs dispersed in piles, lying near boxes to be shipped back to their base. The atmosphere was quiet and relaxed as they set to work in relative safety. Guards, former trainers, accompanied by their Pokémon, were posted outside to protect the officials.

The door was open, so when the man walked through nobody looked up immediately. No one glanced upwards to see the air shimmer and rip as he appeared out of nowhere, strolling across the floor, eyes dark, taking in the scenes in a moment. His boots made a faint noise on the floor, echoing throughout the great hall and causing people to look up, blinking at the realisation that there was a strange man in their midst.

If this was what security was like now, with the League in charge, he was gladdened by the news that SECTION usually ran most of the operations.

The quiet chatter ceased to silence, people shying away from him with wide eyes, for every step he walked. His clothes were black, blending in with the night, looking like he had stepped out from the shadows, and had anyone witnessed his appearance they might have thought it true. Even his hair was raven black, and it fell shaggily in front of his eyes, face shielded by a hood that was pulled up. It was ruffled, almost spiking out to the side. His mouth was curled up into a vicious sneer, his hands clenched into fists.

_This was such a bad idea._ He couldn't even begin to express his distaste at being back here once more, and with League officials crawling over the area it was even worse.

As if matching his bad mood, his dark eyes lightened to a pale brown. It was their natural colour, a pale, auburn brown, warm and friendly. Now however, they were pale in contrast to the rest of his attire, all the warmth had drained out of them, leaving them cold, dead reflections of what they had once been.

Nobody dared look the man in his eyes.

The man was casually dressed, and if it wasn't for an overwhelming presence of some dark force that made everybody turn and shiver, he could have been anybody; black jeans and a dark hooded jacket. A white line ran along the hem, and along the pockets. He bore no logo, or sign, making it almost impossible to determine which side he was on. He was a terrifying figure, even though his name went unknown.

And then his hands started to glow blue.

Okay, so maybe he was overdoing it a bit, but he had been told it was the quickest way to clear a room successfully.

Faintly at first, the blue shimmered, before it seemed to overwhelm the clench fist. It wasn't a bright blue either, but more of a murky navy, almost black. The colour seemed to swirl and change, undecided between a blackish purple and the dark blue. Then the man stopped walking, standing in the middle of the hall among the swirling floor pattern of twisting elements.

His eyes narrowed, and several of the people huddled at the sides of the great room scuttled away. This man was a stranger. Nobody knew who (or what) he was, and they were scared.

"I request an audience with the League!" His voice rang out across the hall. Despite the crumbling wall it echoed and reverberated back towards him.

At the far end of the hall a white bearded man with knobbly knees stood, shaking slightly, peering short-sightedly over his spectacles. He was quaking gently and his voice was high in pitch, compared to the dark man's low voice.

"I…I'm a-af-fraid that that the League is-s not open to visitors s-sir," he stuttered.

The man laughed. "Of course it isn't open to visitors." He gestured to the desolate hall. "The League is _gone,_ yet for some reason, Charles Goodshaw; you still seem to think that you can command those beneath you.

The President of the Pokémon League took a step backwards in shock. "If… if you're from SECTION…" he paused, after mentioning the name of the more military side of the resistance. "Or the Team…"

The dark man took a slow step forwards. "A mix of the two." He shrugged. "Never really liked the latter much though." He drawled, "Or your particular division."

"If you have a problem with me you can take it up with the elites!" Goodshaw seemed to gain some bravery from somewhere.

"The elites are running the show now, are they?" the man mused, "Finally kicked you off your podium. Made one mistake too many…" his tone had grown cold. "Tell me." He began. "Who was it who decided to try and bring the criminal dealings of the various teams to a confrontation?"

The president swallowed. "Mine." He admitted. "It was for the greater good of everyone…"

"Of course." Pale eyes rolled, his clenched fist slowly uncurling by his side. The dark light that had surrounded it now condensed into a sphere of malicious energy. It gathered there, swarming like a plague of dark spirits. "What you thought was best. One mad with an ideal can go a long way to fucking up the world. It's a dangerous position to be in." At some silent signal two shadows appeared by his side. One was a pitch black jackal, who walked on his hind legs. His ears were erect and his chest was studded with a silver metal spike, along with two on the back of his paws. Behind his head two appendages hung, looking like long hair. The creature was pitch black, with the exception of his creamy white chest and silver spikes.

Charles gasped. This creature was recognisable to him, having watched enough conferences over his years. This was a Lucario, one of the many creatures that lived in their world. The thing that was unusual was the black colouration, that wasn't seen, even in the rare oddly coloured jackals.

The smaller creature was already a black-purple with a red tufted fluff of fur on her head. Two red dots and red eyelids framed cold, piercing blue eyes. His dainty feet were also tipped red, as if stained with blood. To all extent the creature represented what the humans in that room, would have once, about a thousand years before called a fox, but now its size had shrunk and a black colour ran around its neck.

A computerised _beep_ rang out. Following it, was a mechanic sounding voice, of which the syllables sounded longer than necessary and rang in your ears for some time afterwards. The voice seemed to be dictating information.

"_Warning. Warning. Pokémon detected. Pokémon detected. Species. Lucario. And. Zorua. Species. Zorua. And. Lucario. Warning. High Level. Warning-"_

With a lightning like sound the small, box like mechanical object from which the noise was issuing from. There was a flash and a crackle and the one side of the box fell to one side, cleanly cut through. Crouched, just in front of the machine, it's long, whip like tail still gleaming stood what would once have resembled a large rodent. Yellow cheek pouches were sparking on his cheeks with what looked like electricity. Small sharp fang like teeth was bared.

The mouse was orange, and slightly bigger than the small fox. Brown stripes ran along his back and his yellow ears curled at the tips. His paws looked gloved, the fur brown and the tip of his long, snake-like tail was yellow and shaped like a lightning bolt.

"Raichu," the creature huffed, its dark brown eyes blinking. His tail flickered impatiently.

"That's new." The man blinked at the destroyed machine, before turning his attention back to Goodshaw, who had slumped down in what might have been a faint. Either way, the man curled his lip in disgust. "Wake him up," he snapped and from the darkness another creature appeared, its body lithe and blue. Dark blue fins ran along her spine and her tail resembled that of mermaids, despite the four legs. This creature walked on all fours and was about twice the size of the Zorua. A large fin rested on the top of the head with two flipper-like ears. Its eyes were dark blue and pupil less. Almost nonchalantly, the bubble jet creature pursed her lips, letting a jet of water stream from them.

The stream of crystal clear water splashed onto the man and he awoke, spluttering. He blinked and one hand reached up to take of his spectacles. He then froze as he realised what had happened. He tried to scramble backwards to sit up but the orange mouse appeared by his head, the long whip like tail turning silver and growing iron-like as it pressed against the pulsing jugular.

"And look at you now." The man mocked. "The all-powerful League leader, at my mercy. How the positions have changed."

"You're a guardian." He blustered. "You can't kill."

"Says who?" the named aura guardian scoffed. "The League? I've been your lapdog before and I refuse to be your sacrificial lamb again, Goodshaw." He stepped forwards, kneeling down in front of the president. His voice was low. "I wasn't actually expecting anyone to be here." He admitted. "I just ended up here because it's the easiest place to get to from Johto."

"VaPoureon." The bubble jet evolution hissed.

"Shut up Va." The aura guardian snapped. "It's rather convenient though." He directed to the fallen bearded man. "I can get you out of the way now; stop you interfering, while finding out what I need to know."

"I won't tell scum like you anything!" The gleaming iron tail pressed down harder. Charles Goodshaw shuddered, changing his mind. "I'll tell you." he cried. "I'll tell you. Please, _please _don't kill me."

"In the league," the dark man played with the black aura sphere, letting it run over his left hand like water. "There is a man. His name is Gary Oak. He's the Viridian Gym Leader." He paused, to check Goodshaw knew who he was talking about. A frantic nod was given. "Where can I find him?"

The spectacled man swallowed nervously, his Adam's apple pulsing with each ragged breath. His pupils were dilating rapidly. To say he was scared was an understatement. "Since the gyms closed…" Goodshaw gasped, "He has a lab…north of Pewter…along the path to Mount Moon. If he's not there then he'll be in Cerulean with his girlfriend, or Viridian with the SECTION team there."

"Can't you be more specific?" the man growled, the brown in his eyes spinning to a dark russet.

"His lab. He'll be in his lab!" Goodshw cried, shaking. "Please, please." He begged.

The dark man sighed, stepping back up. He made a motion to the black Lucario. "Deal with him," his voice was cold.

For one second the man found his bravery, protesting valiantly. "I told you what you wanted me to know! You can't…mercy. Mercy."

The man paused, glancing nonchalantly over his shoulder. "Not this time."

Goodshaw's face was still frozen in his last, indignant expression as a blue black lance stabbed him through the chest. He managed to blink only once before turning to dust, bones, flesh and muscle crumbling into nothing. His small round spectacles fell to the ground, a fine layer of ash covering them.

"Carrr Ro RioRo," the black jackal growled. The dark man was staring complacently over the crumble walls, once magnificent in their splendour.

"Not after the chances he gave me."

The Lucario let out a bark, which could have been interpreted as a laugh, or a scold, it was hard to tell.

"Ironic, huh? Ashes to ashes." The man shrugged. "It seemed appropriate. The world doust we rise." He turned to gaze out over the empty hall. "Sun settest and riseth o'er what we leave behind." He gave a thin lipped smile. "We're back in Kanto." He laughed. "About time to."

His Raichu chirped something and he laughed in response. "Time to go." He told his four Pokémon, taking a single step before he seemed to vanish, the air warping and cracking into mirror fragments, or shattered space. Indeed, he had faded out of sight, and left nothing but shadow in his wake. The four creatures moved towards where he had stood and as they neared it, they too, vanished into thin air.

The hall was silent. The senators and scholars had long since fled, looking for help that wasn't to be given. All that was left was a pair of spectacles, a single hairline crack running across the glass.

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><p><strong>[11:18AM] – May 16<strong>**th**** 2011 - SECTION Base Camp 1 – North West of Viridian City**

"What?"

The red haired man's eyes were wide and his voice had risen in pitch. He swallowed and hastily repeated his question. "What?" He breathed out. "The Hell?" he breathed in. "Happened?" He breathed out again.

Max flinched at the champion's sharp tone. "We just got attacked." He repeated. "Someone knocked out the guards, and killed Goodshaw before vanishing."

The spiky haired man glared at him. "Something more helpful." Instantly, the young researcher launched into an explanation and impatiently, the man held up a hand. "Slowly. Take a breath, and tell me everything at a reasonable pace." He gestured for the kid to start talking.

"Sorry sir." Max bit his lip, glancing down at the small Ralts at his side who cooed encouragingly at him. "We were up at the ruins, just like Goodshaw had ordered, to collect records and anything we might have left up there. Goodshaw was sitting at the far end, overseeing everything and not helping (like usual) and also to stop us wandering into the League room, since he didn't want anybody to go in there." The green haired boy blinked. He seemed to have relaxed now and seemed to be about to go off on a tangent. "They say if anybody else tries to enter they get killed by the ghost Pokémon that haunt the-"

"Max." the red head snapped. "What happened? Today, if you please?"

"Sorry." The boy said mareepishly. "Well Goodshaw was sitting there as if he owned the place, which he technically does, and we were all talking, when it suddenly goes quiet. Someone's just walked in, and it feels like someone just walked over my grave. You know that feeling you get when a ghost drifts through you?" he asked, "Well it feels like that. There was this man, walking in a straight line towards the end of the hall."

His green and white Pokémon let out a chirp.

Max nodded. "Ralts thinks he was psychically blank. Well he doesn't_ think,_ he_ knows_ that the man… he was like a _dark_ type – it was as if he wasn't there." He shuddered, blinking rapidly.

The elder man soothed him gently, "Go on."

The boy swallowed. "So we hear footsteps and turn around, and there he is, striding into the ruins of the league, looking like he's been to hell and back. Dressed all in black, raven hair, and dull brown eyes that… well they looked dead. Glassy. Dead eyes. Walked to the middle of the room and by that time his fist was glowing black and blue. I… I think it was aura, but the colour was all wrong."

"He asked for an audience with the League and Goodshaw said it wasn't open. The man laughed, as if he had expected it, then he began to mock Goodshaw. Goodshaw asked whether he was from the Team or SECTION and he said he was a mix, but never really liked the Team, or 'his particular division', referring to the League when it was under the President's control.

Max frowned, trying to remember. "Go on." The red-head encouraged. "Don't worry if you don't get it all, but the most you can manage would be brilliant.

"I don't remember everything they said. "Stuff about the elites being in power, and Goodshaw having organised something. Then two Pokémon appear by his side, really high levelled and really powerful."

"Can you remember the Pokémon?" interest coloured his voice.

"I-yes. He had this Lucario. Except it wasn't normal coloured, it wasn't even shiny. It was pitch black, with a cream torso, red eyes and it looked like a demon. Then there was this small fox which I didn't recognise immediately. Not at least until the detector that was installed went off. Didn't know it still worked, but it said it was a Zorua. The detector, we had thought it was broken but it was beeping away merrily. Well it's broken now. It was sliced up by a Raichu's Iron Tail as easily as slicing butter. That thing is thick metal but I swear that Raichu just knocked it apart with one flick of his tail."

"The man looked surprised, and I remember him saying to the Raichu 'that's new' as if he hadn't seen it before. Goodshaw had fallen over in fright, and everybody else had run away, but I stayed hidden behind a curtain with Ralts to protect me." He paused to pat his small Pokémon on the head. "He seemed annoyed when he saw Goodshaw had fallen over, and called for another Pokémon, a Vaporeon to wake him up with a water gun."

"He mocked Goodshaw some more, and Goodshaw said that he was a 'guardian' and couldn't kill. Do…" Max paused, his narrative. "Do you think he was an aura guardian? Like A-y'know?"

The red-head looked troubled.

"Lance?" Max asked, straightening his glasses.

"What?" Lance Wataru glanced down. "Oh, yes. Probably, although what a guardian was doing wandering around Indigo… he might be just a user, but it's still troubling."

"He had a Lucario." Max reminded him.

The champion of Johto and Kanto nodded. "What happened then?" he asked.

"Well the guardian said he refused to be a lapdog, I think. Then he asked him where he could find Gary Oak – scared Goodshaw into telling him with the Raichu's iron tail against his jugular."

Lance sighed. "And he…"

Max nodded. "He told the guardian where to find him, then spun around and gestured to his Lucario. Goodshaw was frantic, begging for mercy, and he just glanced at him and said 'not this time'. Then his… his Lucario summons this purple black staff, like a bone rush but dark blue and stabs Goodshaw. The poor old guy freezes and then…and then turns to ash. The man said how ironic it was."

"Why?" the red-head asked, leaning back, arms crossed.

The green haired boy shrugged. "He said 'ashes to ashes', along with some sort of verse."

Lance leaned forward. "What did he say Max. I need every word. It might be important!"

The teen looked wide eyed at the champion. "From ashes to ashes…" he began slowly. "The earth… world… earth doust we rise. Sun settest and riseth o'er what we leave behind." He blinked, repeating it once again out loud. "That's it, yeah. Then he says to his Pokémon 'let's go' and vanished as if he teleported away. His Pokémon followed and I ran to check on the others."

The champion sighed. "Goodshaw is dead?" he asked.

Max nodded.

"Not sure whether that is good or bad." Lance muttered, before turning around, business-like. "Did you get all that?" he asked the brunette sitting behind him at the computer.

"Yup!" she chirped, happily, "And before you ask, I'm running a search for it now!" she pre-empted his order. "From ash to ashes, the earth doust we rise. Sun settest and riseth o'er what we leave behind." She spun around on her wheelie chair, typing something into a smart looking computer of sorts. Her fingers flew across the keyboard and they had to wait only briefly before he had found a match.

"Alright, get this." She peered at the screen. "This verse was engraved upon a gravestone in Alto Mare. Two actually, although this one is encoded. Just a sec…" Something was flashing up on screen, multiple figures calculating the code. She hit the desk as a confirmation message popped up. "Right, wow."

"What is it?" Lance asked, impatiently.

"Okay, one is from this guy… Aaron something or other. It's really old and apparently the body was moved from somewhere north of Mount Moon. The surname is unknown. There is also a strange symbol on his grave which…" she twiddled a few keys," Wow. This guy is really old. Used to be an aura guardian by the looks of the symbol. Actually…" she frowned, staring at the name. "Yep, definitely an aura guardian. From Rota actually if you're interested, I've met his Lucario before. I knew that symbol looked familiar."

She scrolled down on the screen. "Now, this guy's impressive." She admitted, "But this other…well…_this_ is amazing. The other is on an unnamed grave but from a diary record of this old gondolier it's the grave of a Latios who died to protect the city."

"A Latios?"

"Yep. Male. Obviously. Aged 19 Years whose Soul Dew was destroyed only 3 years ago. Shame." May made a regretful tutting noise with her tongue. Lance stared. "Any other records of that verse?" he asked. May shook her head. "Just those two." She leaned back. "Guess you're off to Alto Mare then? Assuming you want to find out more about this guy, work out whose side he's on?"

"You know me." The red haired man helped Max to his feet. "Anything would be more interesting than waiting for Will or Koga to make a decision on something. Then we've got to run it by Pewter, and Karen and Bruno argue a lot…"

"Want me to try and contact someone to get you there?" May asked, reaching for her laptop.

Lance shook his head. "First we're heading back to the League Ruins."

May leaned back in her chair. In her hair a blue bandana was tied and two locks fell framing her narrow face. Her sapphire eyes were narrowed at her computer screen. "Then tickets?" she asked Lance. He shook his head again. May flexed her gloved fingers. "Dragonite?" she sighed and the once champion of the Johto and Kanto League nodded silently, heading towards the door, leaving the two siblings alone. The brunette spun around to stare after him for a moment, then spun back towards her technology, enjoying the swivel chair that she had been granted in their temporary base. She wore long, smart black trousers that hung off her hip and a blue shirt that matched her bandana.

May Maple was eighteen years old. She wasn't the youngest there. One of the hackers was only fourteen. Unconsciously her fingers were tapping on her arm, too used to having keys beneath them. May had always loved technology, and despite her original wish of being a journalist, she was now quite happy working for the League. Even the high security part of it. SECTION. That was what the people who worked for it called it. Once people had known what it stood for, but nowadays nobody could be bothered to remember. They were all too busy trying to stay alive.

May's fingers were still tapping idly as she spun back to her computer. It was more of a laptop, since most of the advanced computer software had been destroyed. She briefly admired her background that she had managed to find, a rare picture of a red fox, its russet coat shining against the snow and its paws daintily trotting through the icy drifts.

She let her gaze wander to where a cream vulpine was curled by her side. She could see some similarities between her Ninetales and the fox, namely the elongated muzzle and bushy tail, a lithe body and bright eyes. But foxes, that is, old world foxes, didn't have nine tails, they weren't cream nor did they breathe fire.

The world hadn't always been like this. Once everything had been very different. Then, the continents had been in a different shape entirely and the creatures that roamed it were far more vicious and wild. It was told, that the humans were ruthless, destroying the landscape with pollutants and waste.

There was a war; a terrible war, with endless fighting and lots of death. A few, precious records had survived, records to strange countries that no longer existed, or the occasional animal that was neither Pokémon nor plant. There were some expression that had been adapted to fit the new species of life which dominated the planet, while others, remained just the same.

Those who believe in religion, or mythology, would tell you of how Arceus hatched from a giant egg, and created the world, the god of all.

The few theoretical physicists would ramble on for hours about how certain neurotoxins can have adverse effects on organisms, mutating cells and rewriting DNA. They believe that while Arceus may exist, he was merely a catalyst, producing in effect, a cry for help to allow to the world to change. The animals began to adapt, learning new skills, becoming almost magical. Most of the human lost their intelligence, becoming primitive creatures. The animal's growth became effected, growing in sharp, rapid bursts and then nothing, for several years. They gained skills, such as fire manipulation, grass, psychic and water skills. They became _Pokémon._

And so the world began anew.

Life was simpler now.

The main change for humans was, as they began to learn again, that their lives were so much shorter. People lived only to the age of fifty, whereas it was believed that people once lived up to eighty. It was common for kids of ten to leave on a journey, before settling down in a job, or education around. It was the incentive to live life on the edge, out on a traditional adventure, or with a loved one.

May Sapphire Maple of Petalburg City in the Hoenn region was twenty-one, although she would be twenty-two come her birthday on September 20th. It had been twelve years since she started her journey, picking up her Torchic and venturing around contests in her home region.

How things had changed.

When she was seventeen, after the awful darkness had begun, her father, gym leader of Petalburg City, had found her a job in the Hoenn League. She had travelled back and forth to Johto, before the presence of war began to set in, and she had decided to stay in the Indigo regions, instead of venturing back to her island home. Hoenn had declared itself neutral and it quickly become a refuge from people of the other regions.

She had stayed in the Indigo regions ever since.

The brunette sighed, turning away from her Ninetales that lay curled at her feet. She wondered in vain if the world was ending again as she stared at the dark sky through the flapping tent flap. She closed her eyes from the ever dark sky and turned away, back to her job. She stared at the words, still printed on her screen and wondered desperately…where…if she had ever heard them before.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:05PM] - May 16<strong>**th**** 2011 - Viridian City to Pokémon League Road**

Lance shivered as a cold breeze blew. He shouldn't be complaining – it was rare that any breeze blew – but he couldn't help wishing that the shivers would stop running up his spine. He pulled his cloak around his tighter. He let a wry grin cross his face, his mind planning a sharp retort next time SECTION complained about his stupid cloak. The former champion stared at the dark, but cloudless sky, wishing, as always that the sun would appear and light up the bleak, desolate world.

The ground was bare and it looked dead to the surrounding landscape. Then again, the whole landscape looked dead. It looked as if time itself had ground to a halt. Lance pulled up his one sleeve of his black, polo neck jumper and eyed the tattoo just below his elbow warily. It began at his wrist, winding its way up. To the average eye, no pattern was visible but to Lance, he had become well accustomed to the swirls and whirls. Instantly his eyes set upon a strange, gear like shape, seemingly at the very centre of the pattern. The words of the person who had once provided the tattoo rang in his ears.

"_Your future – laid out for all to see. But what can you ever see?"_

Indeed, nothing was truly clearly visible in the swirls and intricate shapes. Once or twice he thought that he could make out shapes of past events, like the league symbol and a roaring Dragonite. The image seemed to shimmer and change all the time, but always revolving around the gear, as if it decided what image to show to him today. Once he had even thought he had seen that awful day when…

He stopped his thoughts, focussing his gaze on the gear and what May had discovered. Or from her guilty expression, she had already found out years ago, but the idea had apparently been dismissed.

The story went, when humans were just beginning to train Pokémon, the creatures had lived in villages. One such village, somewhere in the south of Johto/Kanto border that still existed had a legend about when time had stopped because a tower had collapsed. Dialga had gone mad and an alternative future spanned into darkness and fear. The story went that a Pokémon, coming from the future had teamed up and saved time by placing gears of time, in the collapsing tower. The Time Gears, as they were known, were found in different regions, keeping time running smoothly. Apparently long ago a trio of Mespirit, Azelf and Uxie had guarded them.

This was ridiculous, mused Lance, since everybody knew the three lake guardians resided in Sinnoh. The idea that time had stopped was well grounded, but most where of the opinion that it wasn't how it got here that mattered, but how they got it back, while dealing with the Team at the same time.

He shook himself from his thoughts and pulled his sleeve down, taking another step up the hill towards the ruins of the league. Somewhere to his left, spanned the rubble where Victory Road had once stood. The catacomb was now in ruins, as they had been for years. There were also rumours of savage wild Pokémon that haunted it crumbling tunnels. But then those rumours lived everywhere in this dark world.

Behind him lay the old route from Viridian City to Victory Road. Nobody strayed near that route now. A few years back a collection of Spearow had been released onto the route, experiments from the Team. These half crazed, blood lusting birds had scared away travellers, all of whom began to skirt the route to the north, thus avoiding Victory Road entirely. This had allowed both routes to fall into dereliction, until no path was visible. Now those Spearow had all evolved to Fearow, and anybody who stepped onto that route was doomed to instant and painful death, pierced by their ravage beaks and tearing claws.

Lance was alone on his journey to the ruins of the league. Few people liked to come here. Three years ago it had been the scene of a terrible battle between the League and the Team, both sides suffering terrible losses. It had been evacuated soon afterwards, left to crumble into ruin. Occasionally, such as today, parties were sent up to clear up old files, lest they fall into enemy hands. A lot of the scholars that had studied at Saffron were mad about saving data, and so the party had been allowed up. A few disbelieving politicians had trailed them with trainers along to guard them.

They weren't much use now, Senators, Lance reflected; those pompous foolish people who thought that they held all the cards. Now they hid at home hiding, or strutted around at the temporary League base, bossing people around. The red haired man had never seen what difference they had ever made to the region, other than agree with other people and make the decision final. Even Goodshaw, for all his power, had sat around ordering people what to do, without thinking about the consequences. It had been all, his fault that…

Maybe he shouldn't go there. The man was dead now anyway, both of them, and what was done, was done.

Lance much preferred being part of SECTION, he always had. Once he had been League Champion. He was reputed as the strongest trainer in Kanto and Johto. Only once had he found someone stronger. He had been the one people looked to for advice. He had never had to worry with strutting around, bossing people around or trying to decide whether to host the next tournament here or here. He had been moved to SECTION, the more militant side of the League, the side that had been very, very small until a few years ago. Now the other side was looking small in comparison, the small headquarters residing in Diglett's Cave. He hadn't even set foot in there.

Not that he wanted to, he mused as he hovered on the League Ruins. As always, his eyes took in the cliff on the far side and the broken pillar. He turned away, trying to keep the past memories that threatened to swim up to the surface buried. As always he was reminded of his promise. His oath.

"_You kill him ... this is war. And we won't hold anything back."_

The champion who hadn't used that title in four years turned to the former Pokémon League. Most of the rooftops had long since crumbled in and a few large gaps resided in the walls. Further back he could see the faint square like shape, buried under rumble which once used to be his chamber and battle room. To the right were the large stadiums, all of which lay in ruin and in front of him loomed the once great, hall.

It had been used rarely, normally for banquets and feasts in the past. Before it was destroyed it had been used for meetings and the odd celebration when a new member of region was instated. Miraculously, the roof stayed standing, elaborate glass designs on the ceiling.

As Lance strode among the ruined hall he turned his head as always to look to where magnificent murals of the legendary Pokémon had once been. The only patterns he could see now was an ash stained Ho Oh, it's red and yellow feathers grey, the coloured tiles all peeled away. If he had not known which Pokémon the bird in the picture was meant to be, he would have said it was a different one entirely. He turned around, looking at the grand archway that still stood. The only other image that had survived, protected by the twirling columns of stone was a Latias, soaring through the skies with what he had always believed to be Mew dancing in the air behind her.

Lance turned back to survey the room. He could see the faded tattered red curtain where Max, May's younger brother must have hid behind. At the far end, near the doorway that led to the chambers and offices something caught his eyes. His pace increased, but then slowed as he realised the bright light was only glass, catching the candle light. Once again he cast a sad glance up at the sky, wishing, as always that the sun would appear.

Not that the sun had been seen for four years.

Instead his Dragonite soared into view, its eyes scanning the country side. The champion's hand reached automatically for the Pokéball, down at his belt but he managed to stop himself. The red and white spheres had stopped working for some unknown reason several years ago. It was a nuisance. They had either broken, trapping Pokémon still inside, or had allowed the final release of the creatures, before sealing up, being unable to recall them back into energy.

It was frustrating at times, when Lance had to be followed by his whole team, but it was kind of reassuring to know that no matter what happened to him, his Dragonite and sometimes his Dragonair was out there, to look out for him as well as to get away safely. He used to have a Garchomp, Hydreigon, Charizard and Aerodactyle, among others, but their frozen red and white spheres were in storage, their contents trapped. He had been working on a way to break them open, without killing their inhabitant, but he was not yet successful.

Owning Pokémon had become a huge hassle and most, lazy people had just released them. Not that Lance would ever do that. He was grateful for the elderly, disabled professor who, along with an assistant, ran a park in Hoenn, looking after people's Pokémon, safe from the war. There were several permanent residents as well, mostly…

Lance once again broke of the thoughts, turning around. Apart from the pair of glasses, there were no clues here. Even the ashes on the floor had scattered with the winds.

He hurried to leave the ruins. Even once he was outside he wandered part of the way down the route before stopping. The air around the old League always seemed slightly haunted to him, as well as omnipresent. It was even worse today, kind of dark and dead. There was a chill in the air, which made him jumpy and a wind was blowing that rattled the bushes, making him wary and cautious. He felt better amongst the trees. Lance was a Viridian born, so the forest was where he felt the most comfortable.

Once there he pulled up his right hand sleeve. One his wrist sat a thick wrist strap, with a dial surrounded by several buttons. The LCD screen was faintly lit. Most of the major power stations had stopped working but SECTION had a rough routine which involved the electric Pokémon powering up the electrical appliances. It was easy and quick and didn't cost anybody anything. At first several people had been electrocuted by the odd electrical discharge that the appliances had given out but the plastic straps had, despite the terrible look to it, prevented that happening.

Now the red haired man pressed a few buttons, selecting the call option. He had marvelled once over how many applications were on here but now he was too accustomed to it, to fully appreciate it.

"Found anything?" May's voice echoed, tinny from the small speaker. Lance had just used the call option to call her and she was now speaking into her own wrist strap. Again, they had a name but nobody could be bothered to remember. A few people just called them Pokétch, like the old, Pokémon Watches. Except these were new and improved…

"Nothing, just a pair of glasses like your brother said. Indigo is empty. Just like always."

"I told them to cancel any trips back up to the ruins. It is now officially off limits along with almost everything else. Now do you want the tickets to Alto Mare? Well, not actual tickets, but you know what I mean. I can get on the phone to the ferry man and see if we can persuade him to take you south."

Lance sighed impatiently, "I told you, I'm flying!"

"Yeah right. From Johto south. Do you even know how many miles that is?" Her voice contained a trace of sarcasm.

"No," he admitted, ruefully, "Do you?"

"No but I know it's an awful lot."

Lance rolled his eyes, "How many times do I need to tell you…"

"You once flew from Kanto to Sinnoh – I know. This is only the fifty second time you told me." May's voice was lightly teasing. Lance sighed impatiently. May's voice chirped up again, "I've contacted Dawn. She's sending a group north to Gary's lab. We'll plan an ambush to catch that man and find out who he is."

"Good," Lance nodded, "Well, I'll be off, I want to catch the last of this wind."

There was a pause before May commented in a quiet voice, "It's rare to have wind. Sometimes it feels like time has just stopped and the world is frozen."

Lance's face creased in sorrow, "That's what we're trying to fix." He tried to reassure her.

Her scornful voice was obvious. "Yeah, but the person who made the most progress is _dead_!" He could detect the faint sob in her voice. There was a sniffle then she spoke again, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't bring him up. But I think about him every day. Every time I'm stuck I think of what he would have done. Gets me through sometimes…"

Lance swallowed down a lump in his throat. "I regret that day… so much. If I could change it …"

"It's not your fault Lance, you know that. He died bravely and I know he wouldn't want us mourning him like this."

Lance gave a rough smile. "Then I'm off to Alto Mare then. Catch you later."

"Look after yourself!"

"Hey," he retorted, "What do you think I do?" but the call had been cancelled, the green light on the Pokétch fading away. He sighed and stood up, letting out a piercing whistle as he did so. From the sky their came a harsh cry that sounded mournful in the darkness, echoing slightly.

There came a stronger rush of wind and the odd dry leaf and clump of soil blew around him. A leathery sound could be heard and the dark shape could be seen, large, a foot over his height. The tall two metre high beast landed surprisingly gently for a creature of its size. Once its large form had settled the colours came into view. It was a creamy orange with large wide eyes and a small horn on the top of his head. Smallish wings outstretched either side of his body, orange leathery skin with blue veined underneath. The dragon walked on its two large, strong hind legs, its clawed arms handing by its side. The mouth opened in a yawn, revealing a red maw of glistening fangs.

The Dragonite tilted its head at its trainer, its eyes blinking as it let out another cry, sounding similar to the whales of ancient times. Lance nodded and mounted the dragon, kneeling where the wings joined the orange body. His hands gripped a pair of scales just behind the neck and they cut into his gloves as always as Dragonite reared up, wings flapping strongly. With a powerful thrust, the creature took off, flapping strongly to gain height before letting the wind fill the sail like wings.

"To Alto Mare my friend. Head south." The wailing dirge could be heard as the Pokémon obeyed, tilting its course so that the ruins of the Pokémon league lay behind them. Once they would have navigated by the sun or stars but they no longer even bothered to look up at the cloudy, dully grey sky.

This was a world where the sun never shone.

* * *

><p><strong>November 2011 - Okay, so this is a new idea that I have. I don't know yet how it will turn out but it will hopefully be okay. The story is set about nine years after the Sinnoh Saga ends and will incorporate mainly the anime, but with a slight venture into game and manga territory, with elements of the Mystery Dungeon games.<strong>

**The ages at the start of the year the story is set in are as followed... Ash 24 / Misty 24 / May 21 / Dawn 19 / Max 18 / Brock 26 / Lance 26 / Erika 25**

**April 2013 – I rewrote the beginning scene to make it more approachable as a beginning of the story. I have also fixed my issues with ages and will now consistently stick with these.**

**Enjoy reading ~ Eclipse**


	2. Visiting Friends

**Chapter 2 – Visiting Friends**

_"Sometimes friends have to go away, but a part of them stays behind with you. You'll remember them forever, and they're going to always be in your heart." _Ash

* * *

><p><strong>[15:33PM] – May 16<strong>**th**** 2011 - Oak Laboratory – North of Pewter City**

The man narrowed his eyes, staring out of the tree he was currently perched in. Below his shadowy form, Vaporeon and Lucario were just visible, silent sentinels. On the branch above him perched his Raichu, the long tail dangling down past the man's shoulders. The black fox was nowhere in sight. The raven haired man sighed, leaning until his back propped up against the tree trunk, the worn bark crumbling and peeling.

"She's got distracted again. She _always _gets distracted."

His voice was fairly humorous, a light and easy tone, relaxed with a hint of impatience. The man blinked, his eyes a pale blue. The aura guardian called down to the Pokémon below him, "Luca! Can you check that Zo is still on task?"

A grunt of acknowledgement followed this query. Below, the pitch black Lucario closed his eyes. The sensors on the back of his head rose, half-heartedly, a faint blue glow surrounding them. It only took a few precious seconds as the jackal did this, then his red eyes snapped open. "CarrRioRo," Luca growled.

The raven haired man in the tree sighed. His eyes were now half closed in exasperation. One hand came up to hit his head gently.

Above him Raichu made some quaint chirping noises. "ChuRai RaiRaiCha." He tried to reassure his trainer. "RaiAi?"

The man nodded, as if he could comprehend the strange noises. "We wait," he replied.

From below the mermaid fox let out a shrill cry, similar to the whaling keen of Lance's Dragonite, however this was more fluid and songlike, like the bubbling of a brook. "PourVapVap? PourEon."

"Hush now," the man chided gently, a note of caring evident in his voice. The fox blinked her wide brown eyes up at him then let out a small yawn, her red mouth and sharp fangs evident. The man in the tree glanced down at her, almost carelessly. "You can sleep when we get out of here Va. Just keep it up for a little bit."

The fox let out a protesting squeal, "PorEon!" She complained.

The dark haired man did not answer, but remained silent, pondering something. Above him his Raichu let out a quiet 'chu' which the man acknowledged with a simple blink of his eyes. In return the long tail touched gently against his roughly shaven cheek. It flickered impatiently a faint crackle of black electricity was to be seen, running along it. Everything about the strange, surreal energy screamed wrong but the man ignored the pleas, dropping lightly down from the tree. His knees bent, silencing his drop. Beside him, his Lucario melded into the shadows, a faint growl the only thing left to remind the man where he had been standing. The Vaporeon curled herself around his legs as Raichu stayed above them, branch hopping silently.

The orange mouse was surprisingly adept for a ground dwelling rodent, the heavy and cumbersomeness of his species not evident in the nimble paws and quick darting movements. They suggested years of running, of constantly having to watch their backs.

In front of them the faint shape of a house could be seen, built into the hillside. Its walls were white washed with dainty widows, flower baskets planted around the edge of the small plot. The small, quaint chimney puffed pale grey smoke, that wiped away, curling upon itself until it was lost to the atmosphere. The man's footsteps unintentionally quickened.

A back door was closed. The raven haired man had adjusted his course heading towards it. Silently Vaporeon darted ahead, seeming to spit on the lock. Nothing appeared to happen for a moment, and then with a quiet hiss the metal of the lock dissolved, eaten away by the acidic saliva of the bubble jet Pokémon. The raven haired man didn't even have to slow his pace, by the time he reached the door the whole of the locking device had been eaten away to nothing. The door swung open with a gently touch of his gloved fingers.

Now the man paused, and by his side the mouse looked curiously up at him. Then, as if he had made his decision, he stepped forward, crossing the threshold.

It was dim inside the cottage. No lights were on and most of the curtains had been drawn. The man winced as a floorboard underneath him creaked but continued walking. Vaporeon trailed behind him while Raichu led the way. His lightning bolt tail glowed faintly with black electricity, letting off a dark glow of light.

There was a faint scuffling and the black fox appeared in front of him. Its snout was lowered to the floor and eyes wide. She let out a faint squeak – "Rua!" Dust coated her fur and made her look wraithlike and surreal.

The man didn't say anything but the fox must have received some instruction, for it perked up, scampering back the way they had come and rounding the corner out of sight.

"_Typical" _was the thought that ran through the man's mind. His Raichu agreed "S_he can be a bit dense sometimes."_

"_I heard that!" _was the indignant reply, even her mental voice sounding high pitched.

This conversation ran in utter silence, the whole process running on a mental level, almost telepathic but far stronger, allowing a wave of images, emotions and senses to run between them. Only Vaporeon and Lucario were silent, the former too tired and grumpy to join in and the latter, silent in his patience.

The man shook his head briefly, messing his ebony hair so that it fell across his eyes. He didn't bother to move it though, and continued through the corridor, ignoring the kitchen and dining rooms to the sides. His final destination lay straight ahead, opening out in some faint form of lighting.

A lamp was on in what appeared to be the living room. The furniture had all been moved around so that a closed door in the wall could be accessed easily and the front door was barred off. The man let his eyes linger of a mantel piece, where pictures stood, and gathering dust. He forced his gaze away though and crossed the floor to the closed door. He hesitated before letting out three sharp knocks on the wooden surface. After a seconds pause he let out another two sharp knocks before stepping back.

Some commotion could be heard, along with the shifting of papers and the creak of stairs. Then the door burst open.

The raven haired man narrowed his eyes at the man that stood in the doorway. Behind him, harsh white lighting led down to what might have once been a cellar, but now looked far more advanced. A brown haired man stood framed in the light, his hair spiky and green eyes narrowed. He wore brown cargo pants with what closely resembled a pilot's jacket. It was tight fitting brown leather with the collar folded neatly. His spiky hair stuck up, brushing the doorframe above him. In his hand, a gun was levelled at the intruder.

"What a welcome I get?" the raven haired man smirked, "First time back in Kanto after several years and this is my welcome home gift?" the aura guardian took a step back, away from the spiky haired man, giving him room to observe.

The other guy barely blinked. "Your name," he demanded. By his feet a black fox appeared, yellow rings on her body glowing. Vaporeon let out a quiet snarl, stepping forwards, her hackles raised.

"Va," the raven haired man chided. He looked up at the other man, "I thought you'd recognise me Gary. Then again… it had been a while, and I have had the slight case of the death to deal with. Doesn't matter though – I got better and now I'm back – do you know how hard it is to make your way to Kanto from Sinnoh in these times?"

"Your name," Gary Oak repeated his eyes wary. Slowly he reached one hand up to cock the gun.

The raven haired man eyed him curiously, "So when did SECTION recruit you? Or let me guess, your grandfather put them up to checking up on you? Or was it Leaf? You do know that won't do anything right?" he waved a hand around, black and blue mist trailing behind it. "Aura guardian – hello!"

Gary flinched, "Who the hell are you? How do you know all these things? What are you doing breaking into my house?"

The raven haired man turned his back on the man, walking over to the couch and slouching down on it. He crossed his feet and sighed. "Technically it's your lab." He corrected. "Although it's a nice place. I'm impressed."

The gun was lowering to the floor. "Do I know you?" Gary asked, frowning.

"I'm dead," the aura user introduced himself, as if it was an everyday thing. "I died four years ago at the battle of Indigo Plateau." He was watching Gary's reaction. "Among my many pseudonyms of Shadow, Chosen One and 'Hey! You over there!' you might discover my real name." He glanced up, meeting the green eyed gaze."It's me Gary." He said, "Ash. Ash Ketchum. I'm not quite as dead as you think and I want to know where the Time Gear of Viridian Forest is."

The gun fell to the floor with a clatter and even the black Umbreon hissed sharply. Raichu hopped forward, teeth bared, black electricity dancing over his fur. The midnight fox regarded him suspicion, the same look Gary was directing at Ash.

"You're lying!"

Ash laughed. "That's it? I'm lying? Don't you recognise me?"

Gary narrowed his eyes. "You've got a hood on." He pointed out.

Ash blinked. "I do? Really?"

Rai falm palmed.

"Well if you want any more proof…" Ash spread his hands out, after pulling down the hood, ignoring the gasp. "Ask me a question only I would know. Or shall I tell you what I know?" Without waiting for a reply he continued speaking, "Three years ago I died. I was shot and pushed over a cliff by Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket, nowadays part of the Team. You were my best friend until we were six when you became a bully and a pig headed…" he didn't finish that sentence, choosing instead to continue with his account.

"When we were ten we started our journeys. I got a Pikachu because I was late and you got a Squirtle, now a Blastoise, along with your Eevee, now an Umbreon," he motioned to the Moonlight Pokémon. "You were my rival. You were always ahead of me until the Silver Conference where my Charizard beat your Blastoise using steam. I went on to Hoenn and you became a researcher. Next time I met you, I was beaten by your new Electivire and encouraged me to go to Sinnoh where you were working for Professor Rowan. There we helped…" Ash paused, frowning. "Was it a Shieldon group or Rampardos?" he directed this towards his Raichu.

"Chu." The mouse added after pausing to think.

Ash nodded. "Shieldon then – we helped them from Pokémon Hunter J, and you helped my Glissor evolve. The next time I met you was…" again he paused, fear flashing in his eyes before continuing. "It must have been after my elite challenge when we ended out rivalry by tossing that broken Pokéball off the cliff at Indigo… then I began to work for SECTION, while you were one of the researchers and I saw you more regularly. Last time we met was a double date, you and Leaf, me and…" he stopped, the word appearing to be stuck in his throat. He closed his mouth and swallowed.

Gary had taken a step backwards. "Okay. You know a lot, I'll give you that. But I'm asking you one question because I'm still doubtful." He glanced sideways at Raichu. "It's probably you, but just to make sure… you know…"

The aura guardian nodded.

"The Ash I knew would never have evolved his Pikachu." Gary added. "_Ever._ So my question… nothing to do with the Raichu actually, but that night with the four of us… you said something to me. It sounded so damn freaky… tell me what it was."

Ash's eyes seemed sad as he spoke, without hesitation, "I told you that the world was going to become a frozen world where nightmares walked. The years ahead would be the worse years of your life if you're alone. Be prepared to never see the sun or moon, or stars or wind or snow or rain, because these next few years…will only ever last one second." Gary was reaching for his gun as Ash finished, "I never told you that. I never spoke those words to you ever. I wrote it down, because words can be overheard. I wrote on a napkin, in pencil and you read them then tore it up and let my Charizard toast it." He paused, frowning. "I still have no idea where that came from either."

Gary stopped reaching for the gun and stood up, shaking his head slowly, "You _died."_

"Don't I know it?"

"You _died_ only a _month_ after that conversation!"

Ash was silent. Gary took slow steps forward before sitting down a on the opposite couch. He buried his head in his hands and was silent.

The raven haired man sighed and began speaking, slowly, "I _was_ dead. Then someone brought me back. I have a mission and when it's all over…," he paused and a look of extreme anger overcame his features but it was gone almost immediately.

Gary's head snapped up a second too late, missing the look of anger. However his own face showed frustration, "So why didn't you come to see us. After you were 'resurrected' from the dead? Did you not even have time to visit you supposed friends?"

Ash flinched, "I couldn't. You don't understand." He paused. "Have you seen Sinnoh?" he changed the subject. "It's ten times worse than Kanto and Johto isn't much better. It's almost peaceful here in comparison. This is the first time I've been back in Kanto since I… uh… I think woke up in the correct term … two years ago on Mount Coronet. Mount Coronet! You try getting from there to here in two years with a war going on, the borders patrolled regularly…"

"Okay! Okay! I get it." Gary snapped. "SECTION phoned ahead. I knew you were coming. Why did you do it like this? Appear at the League and then come here? It sounded like you wanted to kill me."

He winced. "Someone overheard that? I was just trying to save time by asking instead of hacking into a computer. I… This isn't a personal visit. I just need to know where the Time Gear is and you'll never see me again. I'll be gone. If I came back I would have just given everyone false hopes. It's why I'm trying to keep a low profile."

"Good luck with that." Gary scoffed. "Killing Goodshaw was a _really_ good move."

"He was there." Ash shrugged. "He deserved it."

What do you need the time gear for?" Gary asked, confused.

Ash's eyes darkened, "I told you, I have a mission. Part of it involves collecting the time gears."

"We can help!" Gary leant forward. "Just come with me back to Mount Moon base…"

"No!" Ash snapped. "You can't tell anyone!"

"Why not?"

"Because…"

"Come on then." Gary snapped, angrily, stressed at seeing his dead friend again.

He stopped, seeing the look in Ash's blue eyes. Had they always been blue or was that just since the Celadon Incident?

Ash began speaking, slowly. "When it's all over…you should listen, this is the best bit," his voice was heavily weighted with sarcasm, "I get to die again, but this time there's not coming back," The anger was evident in his tone and his hands began to glow black faintly.

Gary shifted away from his old friend. "Really?" he asked quietly. "Why did you even agree to this then?"

Ash gave a wry smile. "Believe me, when your faced with that choice…even a few more years is better than the alternative." The coldness that was creeping into his voice made Gary shiver, and he suddenly found himself afraid of this man. "You can't tell anyone." He said, seriously. "And I'm sorry for putting you through this…"

"You mean this is it? You appear, then vanish and go off and die?" Gary frowned. "That isn't how it works!"

Ash was looking at his watch now, and he shrugged, changing subjects. "What time is SECTION arriving? I assumed you called them when I arrived. They must have forewarned you anyway."

Gary nodded. "They're on their way." He narrowed his eyes. "I can't get you to stay and tell everybody what is happening instead of running around – a vigilante…"

"I should go."

Gary sighed. "Ash!"

"Gary."

"Don't do this you moron!"

Ash stood, giving him a lopsided grin. "Okay then." He said, slowly. "I'll take your advice and go and say 'hi' should I?" he laughed. "Why should I be worried? They're going to take me to their Pewter Base. That's my next stop, provided you tell me about what I need to know."

Gary shook his head, "You need help. I'd deal with the Viridian Gear."

The raven haired man sighed. "I can't persuade you otherwise." He asked, rhetorically, turning towards the door. "Nice seeing you again Blue." He called, taking a step forwards, but Gary called after him.

"Wait!"

He paused, half turning, Va weaving around his legs.

Gary was staring at him in indecision. Then, his voice a hoarse whisper he whispered, "You said you killed Goodshaw, up at the league. Is it true? Why…?"

"I've killed many people."

Gary swallowed. He still seemed to be struggling to decide what to do. Ash turned away, beckoning to Vaporeon and Raichu. "Fine," he called over his shoulder. His voice changed, becoming almost trancelike, "When the moon is full you have to take the gear to the place where the sun died. A message will come in the rain, and you _will_ go." His eyes had slipped out of focus and his voice had dropped, "I guarantee you that."

Then he was gone. His quick footstep vanished as he disappeared from view, his Pokémon vanishing behind him, leaving only a slight ripple behind in the shattered air.

* * *

><p><strong>[16:07PM] – May 16<strong>**th**** 2011 - Oak Laboratory – North of Pewter City**

He appeared on the front lawn, in front of the barred up door. He shook his head, always disorientated after teleporting. He still wasn't used to it, even though he had been doing it for several years. His head was also muddled from his parting speech that was still ringing in his ears. He was overcome by the knowledge that he had not intended to say that, and that the words were not his.

His now auburn eyes were confused. It didn't make any sense. There was no moon shining at night, nor was there a place where the sun died. The rain never fell, nor did the wind blow, so how could a message appear in the rain?

What was it with him a prophetic riddles?

He really did sound mad.

He sighed and looked at the bushes and trees surrounding him. "You can stop hiding," he spoke up, his voice quiet but cold, hiding the tiredness in his tone.

There was a rustle of movement and then figures emerged from the foliage. Guns and rifles all aimed towards him. He gave a wry grin, the irony of it occurring to him. He called out again, pointing with his hand to some skulking figures at the back. "You three, with the handcuffs, you can came and chain me up or whatever you want to do. I'm not going to fight." Under his breath he added, "Not that I'd want to fight my own side."

A man stepped forward, his skin tanned and eyes were narrow and brown. His hair was pale and brown, spiking, similar to Gary's. He wore an orange top with a black t-shirt underneath. The sleeves were baggy, and his dark brown pants scuffed the ground. The dark skinned man was growing a small beard on his chin, and he reached up one hand to stroke it thoughtfully. Like Lance he wore a black watch on his wrist.

"How long had SECTION been waiting out there?" Ash asked, faintly amused. Some of the guns which had been slacking towards the ground came up, pointing sharply towards him. His lip curled. "You've been slacking with all the top secret aspect of it."

"Who are you?" the tanned man called.

Ash smirked. "That's the best thing. I know your names but you don't know who I am." He crossed his arms across his chest. "So, are you taking me to your Pewter Base or am I going to have to take myself there Brock?"

Brock narrowed his already narrow eyes, unimpressed. "So, you can read name tags. Well done." He ignored one guy who glanced at his non-existent name tag. "You know an awful lot too, but we'll find out what you know soon enough."

Ash blinked. "Interrogation? I love interrogation. Lots woman around there – Riley would have a have a field day." Raichu gave a sigh and Ash kicked him gently with the toe of his shoe. The mouse glared up at him, chirping.

Brock was still unimpressed, "So you're a criminal, you break into houses but only talk to the occupant, you mistreat your Pokémon, you're a murderer…shall I continue?"

Ash's eyes darkened, "You've gotten too good at this job gym leader, how do you know any of those accusations actually apply?" his tone had darkened.

The SECTION members had enough. Brock stepped forwards as the ground rumbled and a Kabutops appeared beside him. "All right, down on your knees. You can't escape this; we've gotten psychic Pokémon blocking the area. Tell your Pokémon to lie down or we'll shoot."

"Psychics." Ash scoffed. Hey, that was an idea. Maybe the psychic version of future sight translated into weird predictions?

"RaiAi!" Rai growled, tail bristling.

"Take it easy." He chided, unmoving, glancing up at the guns. "Look, I'm really scared I'm going to die here so why don't you lower your weapons." His tone was sarcastic, "I don't really care about your psychic Pokémon either. I'd advise you to try dark next time – it works better. How do you know that I'm not psychic huh? Should have dragged Sabrina here, but I am grateful that you didn't. Thanks for _that_ at least. I really do not want to meet the mind reader witch any time soon."

"Poureon," the mermaid reminded him. He ignored her.

"I really don't want to hang around here chatting, as much as I'd like too. I would just be on my way to your base now except it's terrible to pop in uninvited. So I'll just invite myself." He began to stride forwards and the guns followed. He ignored them and was about to sidestep Brock when the Kabutops raised one of its scythes warily.

That was when Vaporeon moved, darting forwards in a blue blur. Some water must have splashed Kabutops for it stepped back, scythes dripping. The snarling bubble jet Pokémon was moving too quickly to see, but it was obvious to see the fang marks that exuded poison. The fossil Pokémon let out a pained cry, staggering backwards. It kept shaking its head as if to rid itself of the pain.

The SECTION group froze. They were not used to handling situations where other people controlled what was happening. Ash realised this and could see that he wasn't getting anywhere. But he hadn't finished yet.

"Scared now?" he asked, his voice taunting, "You better start watching your backs. A black Lucario… a shape shifting Zorua… a Raichu with dark electricity… a Vaporeon who exudes poison in every pore… and a man who used to be an aura guardian… Scared yet?"

He stepped past Brock and began strolling away, stopping at the edge of the trees to call back, "Are you coming? I'm sure your base wouldn't be happy if they know you let me stroll in there by myself!" He turned around with a triumphant grin and walked away. The group hesitated before racing after him, with the exception of Brock who had stopped to examine his Kabutops.

"Too?" the fossil Pokémon asked, its dazed looks vanishing. The tanned man examined the wound which no longer existed. He froze before swearing. "Damn it. That sly bastard. His Vaporeon made you confused with a water pulse and his Raichu must have paralyzed you, which is why you couldn't move. He made it look like you were poisoned by having his Vaporeon bite you." He sat back, finally understanding how dangerous this enemy was. He shook his head in disbelief, "But he didn't actually hurt you at all."

The man who had tugged at his sleeves appeared in the bushes. "Uh sir. You do know that you aren't actually wearing your name tag."

Brock looked at his jumper and froze. "I'm the Pewter Gym Leader." He snapped, impatiently, hiding the fear in his tone. "Of course he knows my name," before brushing past the man and stalking off, trying to shake off the edgy familiarity that which the strange aura guardian had dealt with him.

* * *

><p><strong>[18:27PM] – May 16<strong>**th**** 2011 - South West of Pewter City – Mount Moon SECTION Headquarters**

"So, is anybody going to unlock the door?"

Brock lingered at the back, eyeing the dark man warily. There was no improvement in the situation and they were still at loss at what to do. He had phoned ahead, telling them to get the sedatives ready. He cursed himself that he had forgotten them in the first place.

"Anybody?" Ash was standing by the strong door in the rocky cliff. A small slot for a card was on the left hand side. The raven haired man sighed. "Fine, I have my ID somewhere." He began rummaging in his pockets. The three guards the remained looked at each other in puzzlement. The rest of the group had been dismissed, only making the situation worse.

Ash gave a triumphant "Got it," and waved a card in the air. Then, much to the surprise of the shell struck sentries he promptly proceeded to scan it.

_Card Accepted._

The raven haired man tutted his annoyance, "You'd have thought they would have cancelled my bloody card by now," He turned too looked at Brock and the guards who were still silent. His eyes narrowed and he stepped through the now open doorway.

He managed about one step before a small, feathered dart was shot into his neck. He pulled it out almost instantly, giving it a lethal glare and sighing. Raichu and Vaporeon were similarly hit.

"Crap," was the only word he managed to say.

One second later they fell unconscious to the floor.

* * *

><p><strong>[18:42PM] – May 16<strong>**th**** 2011 - Mount Moon SECTION Headquarters – Intelligence Office**

Dawn was having a bad day.

It had all started when she had missed her morning coffee, and consequently had gone to work half asleep with crumpled hair. Then she had several million phone calls from May about this dark criminal up at the League Ruins and that Lance was going off to some Island in the Johto Seas. Then she had to organise a patrol to help Gary Oak and she had forgotten to request tranquilisers which posed her current problem.

There was an unconscious criminal in interrogation, two of his Pokémon in the sterile unit.

Oh, and the man had just used an unidentifiable card to enter their base.

Now she had a headache. The worst part was it still wasn't sorted, this whole incident, and there wasn't anything she could do to stop the pain, since all medication had become illegal. She leaned back in her chair, watching the camera footage. By her side a Piplup chirped quietly. The blunette turned her head towards the penguin smiling. Her Pokémon could be so cute at times.

Glancing at the camera she saw that the man in the cell was awaking slowly. She saw him put his gloved hand to his head a groan.

"Damn it," he swore again. Dawn sighed as more obscenities flew from his mouth. The raven haired man seemed surprisingly quick to wake as he sat up, glancing around the cell. Then his pale brown eyes found the camera.

"Dawn?"

She flinched.

"Dawn? Okay, long gamble, but hacking into the League computers has to be good for something right? So I'm assuming you're there, somewhere, watching, since Brock is the only person he would ever trust to manage the Intelligence Office." The hooded man rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Can I talk to you?"

Can he talk … Dawn shook her head, blinking. How did a completely random stranger know her name … okay, so he hacked the computer files … why then, did he want to talk to her?

On the screen, the footage flickered and continued, the voice echoing from the speaker. "I don't mean any harm! I swear by the aura. Please, I just want to talk."

Dawn was shaking slightly now. She should really wait and see what Brock had to say about this, but her curiosity combined with her bad mood was making her reckless, as she stood up, leaving her office and heading quickly towards the Interrogation unit.

She would worry about finding that coffee later. This was enough of a wakeup call for her as she swiped her card through the slot on the door. It beeped in recognition, the door sliding open. The guard on duty nodded to her as she approached a smile on his face. Self-consciously she smoothed her blue hair slightly; it was crumpled but relatively straight, and lacked the beanie she had worn in childhood.

Dawn Platinum Berlitz was nineteen, having worked at SECTION for only two years. She used to be a co-ordinator, back in the old day, before starting a school her mother had wanted her to go to in Johto. She joined SECTION after graduating, although if she had learnt anything in those last two, war torn years, remained to be seen. In the past two years she had worked her way diligently up through the ranks to where she was now, moving to Kanto to keep nearer to her friends.

"Open the door." She instructed the brunette.

"But Dee Dee - the prisoner…"

She turned to glare at Kenny, but not just because of the nickname. "Open the door," she demanded her childhood friend, who was in her way. Kenny, recognising a bad mood when he saw one, nodded obediently, using his card to gain access. It gave a disapproving beep.

Dawn gritted her teeth. "_Who_ ordered the door to be high level?" Dawn demanded, clenching her hands. She tried her own pass, but it failed. Then, acting on impulse, she used the unidentified card they had taken from the man.

_Beep._

The door slid open. "That worked," Dawn shrugged, going through. The man was lounging on the chair on the other side. He looked up when she approached.

The door slid closed.

"All right, I'm here." She took a step forward towards the table. "Now let's talk. How about we start with whom the hell are you?" Dawn pulled out a gun from her pocket pointing it at his forehead.

Ash smirked at her, feet resting on the table. "They taught you too well Dawn. Was it Lance? Or Sabrina? Or did Brock change his mind about the 'no weapons'?"

Dawn took a deep breath. It didn't help. "Who _are_ you…?" She asked again. The man in front of her sat upright.

"I can't tell you." he said. "It's for your own good." He added, when she looked at him reproachfully. "But I'm no-one for you to worry about, I'm not opposing you or anything like that. I'm on your side, and I just needed to pass on a message to you." Ash self-consciously glanced at the camera. He blinked and with a spark the red light indicating filming died. "Sorry about that," he said, gesturing to it. Dawn looked startled but gradually lowered her weapon.

The blunette eyed the man warily, "Before you tell me this message can I ask you a few questions?"

"Shoot me."

She ignored the sarcasm, "Your Vaporeon almost killed Barry, one of our scientists when he touched it. It exudes poison like normal Vaporeon's exude water. What's up with that?"

Ash narrowed his dull eyes, "As an Eevee she was dropped into poison." He spread his hands, shrugging off blame, "She used to be in the care of Team Rocket until I rescued her. Anyway, the toxic forced her evolution into the only thing that could survive it. Rocket scum were hoping for a new Eeveelution but got a poisonous Vaporeon instead. Well…she's a toxic Vaporeon…sometimes…" his voice trailed off, face twisting into a wince. "I rescued her from northern Johto." He added, helpfully. "About six months back."

Dawn was shocked and had to stifle a gasp. She ignored the last sentence "Umm…" it had put her off her train of thought, "What about the Raichu and the black energy?"

Ash dismissed this, as if it was a casual thing, "His energy is all negatively charged."

"Isn't all electrical energy negatively charged?" Dawn asked, confused.

Ash narrowed his eyes, looking confused, "Well the charge is opposite what it normally is and since…umm...yeah it should be negative… to be truthful I don't really know, but he's got black electricity and I have black aura." Dawn looked startled as his hands glowed dark blue, almost black. Ash gave a wry grin, "Negatively charged," he told her, shrugging.

"Where did you get that security card?"

He smirked, "It's mine. Some stupid people forgot to cancel it. Lucky it still worked really…" he shrugged, "You'll work that out too."

"Whose side are you on?"

His eyes darkened, "My own." He said, shortly.

Dawn crossed her arms, blue eyes darkening. "Please elaborate." She drawled, mimicking his laid back attitude.

The aura guardian laughed. "I don't like the League, but then you could probably have guessed that. I don't particularly like the Teams either. SECTION isn't half bad though."

It didn't make any sense. Dawn sighed, "Final questions: who are you and how do you know everything you do and what do you want?"

Ash eyed her curiously, "That's three questions. My name you'll work out, but for now, you can call me Shadow. I used to know you years ago, and again, you'll work it out. And I do believe I already answered the last question. I have a message for you."

"What's the message?"

"I thought you said no more questions." Ash sighed. "I need you to unlock something from the vaults."

Dawn crossed her arms, eyeing him warily, "That's not a message. Those are instructions." She was being picky, she knew, but she wasn't going to be bossed around by this guy.

"Fine." The man rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath which sounded an awful lot like 'spoiled princesses".

"What did you say?" she snapped.

"I said 'that's the message!'"

She stared at him suspiciously for a moment. "What item?" she retorted, finally.

Ash put up his hands as if surrendering, "I don't want it." He leaned forwards, "The message it to ask someone to take the Time Gear of Victory Caves in vault ten, seven, seven, eighteen to Gary Oak. He knows what to do with it." He leaned back, smiling at her dumbfounded reaction. "Oh, and pass-code is six-double-zero-one-nineteen-eight."

She blinked at him, "How-how do you know about that …Time Gear?" she spluttered and he blinked at her.

"You'll work it out eventually honey."

She curled her lips, "Nobody calls me honey," she huffed, turning her back on him.

"Oh, and your hair looks terrible."

This day couldn't get any worse. She was riled up and spun around, the gun aiming once more at the obnoxious man's head. Once again he was unworried. "Okay, I've got another question. If I knew you once…or you knew me, what were you to me?"

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Honestly?" he asked, and then he shrugged, "A friend? Isn't that what you want me to say? Would it make that much difference?"

"I…" she frowned. "You look familiar."

"Ask me that again, if we ever meet again…" Ash said, giving her a sad smile, "I'll answer it truthfully."

Dawn was totally fed up now and she glared at him, letting her finger clench over the trigger. Outside, Kenny jumped at the bang as the bullet whistled into the table in front of the raven haired man. Ash didn't flinch, his eyes boring into hers until the door slid closed and she let herself slide down the wall.

"Ma'am, are you all right? Did he do something to you?" Kenny was trying to be protective, and she pushed him away, ignoring his worried expression.

Dawn shook her blue hair slowly. "That man…" she began before taking a deep breath and shaking her head, "He is the most…" she struggled to find the word, "annoying bastard that ever walked the face of the planet."

"RaiChu," the orange rodent sitting in front of her, chirped nodding its head in agreement. Dawn stared at it before turning to the guard. "Kenny." She said slowly. "Is that your Pokémon?" she asked.

The man shook his head rubbing his head, "Come on Dee Dee. You know my team, you used to beat them often enough in contests." Dawn frowned, trying to recall his team of Empoleon, Breloom, Machamp, Alakazam, and the Floatzel.

Kenny worked it out before her, standing up, rifle pointed to where the rodent had been. She scrabbled up, flicking the safety of her hand gun.

The brunette guard was already calling in back-up over his comm. However there was only a faint static. Dawn had plans running through her head. "Where's his Vaporeon, he wouldn't leave without his Vaporeon?" she asked, stalking forwards towards the door.

Then the com device beeped, "Hello – we have a breakout in the Sterile Unit. The newly acquired Raichu and Vaporeon have broken out. I repeat they are on the loose. Do not approach. I repeat, do not approach."

Snap was already replying, "The Raichu made it to interrogation. Requesting-"

"I wouldn't bother," Dawn shook her head, staring at the door with a neat square cut through it. Through it she could see the empty chamber, with one wall half dissolved in a pool of acid. The faint shimmer in the air meant teleportation. Dawn sighed, clenching her fist. "Arceus – even his Raichu agrees with me."

* * *

><p><strong>November 2011 – So you can start to see the similarities to Mystery Dungeon. Got to love those games!<strong>

**April 2011 – Corrected some continuity issues now that the plot and facts are all sorted. The photographer was changed to Kenny, just because he was a character who appeared more often in the anime.**

**I like those horizontal lines, but they don't always like me. I hope they all manage to load successfully.**

**Keep reading and remember – reviews make my day!**

**~ Eclipse**


	3. Falling Leaves

**Chapter 3 – Falling Leaves**

"_You bastards will all rot in hell. And then I hope hell spits you out so I can send you all back there myself." _Ash – Destruction of the League

* * *

><p><strong>[07:47AM] – May 17<strong>**th**** - Cerulean City – Cerulean Cave – SECTION Base - Misty**

Misty stared at the dawn.

There wasn't much to look at nowadays. It was just the same old, boring grey. It never seemed to change. The girl ran a hand through her long, fiery orange hair, closing her blue, green eyes in sorrow. She opened them again seconds later, staring up and trying, hoping she would see a change in tone. Or maybe a hint of blue or possibly even sunlight streaming past…

The grey sky remained unchanged.

Her head dropped down onto the cold windowsill, and she let out a ragged breath. She struggled to compose herself, to pull together the pieces before starting each new day.

It all seemed the same nowadays.

She would wake; stare out of the hidden window, the only one in the entire complex, and think of him. Her thoughts had seemed to linger longer on him with each passing day, trying to hold on to the memories. His face, his smile, his sparkling eyes and the soft feel of his hair beneath her hands. His soft touch that she would never feel again. She flinched and her eyes fluttered. She took another deep breath, wrapping her arms around herself, trying to hold together the broken parts of her heart.

"Azurmaril?" she breathed gently. There was a responding squeak and the aqua mouse hopped into view. It more closely resembled a rabbit, with long floppy ears. Its fur was blue with white spots dotting her bottom belly. The tail looked like a spiky antennae from a kids toy. The rabbit blinked its black eyes at the ginger haired woman. "ZuRill?" (Misty?)

Misty sighed, wishing for the millionth time that she could understand what her Pokémon was saying. She wished also that her other Pokémon could be with her, but she had agreed to let them be used by the soldiers. She had been left with her young Azuril, since evolved. It seemed like so much had changed.

_Oh if only you were here._

_You'd know how to end this stupid war._

Four years ago some people who thought they knew what was best for the world tried to change it. These people included the former villainous gangs. Now, the opposing enemies were generally and consistently known as the Team. Four years ago had been the beginning of the war and the end of everything she had ever known. Pokémon fought Pokémon. Human fought human. Initially the League stood strong, but the rising forces of darkness overwhelmed them.

Life was pretty sombre nowadays. The Teams had done something to wreck the balance of the world. The sky turned dark, and eternal darkness where no sun ever got the chance to rise. Devices became locked and most technology with the typical, solar core of the age ran out life. Pokéballs stopped working, and since nobody was mad enough to go out into the wild to try and catch a feral Pokémon, people were forced to quit their previous occupations of PKMN Trainer and PKMN Co-ordinators.

Three years ago, the League, thinking they knew best sent spies into the Team to try and bring them down. They overrode SECTION instructions, and their foolishness, and belief that they knew best brought itself to its demise. The Teams knew of the plan, and the spies and double agents were flushed out. The League fell, along with the old Pokémon League building. And he died, stabbed through the heart and thrown over the cliff.

They never found his body.

That had been three years ago. But it seemed to the former Cerulean Gym Leader much, much longer. Each day the hole in her life grew and each day seemed to span lifespans. She lived the same routines, stuck in the Cerulean SECTION base. She had never qualified as a member, bar her former gym leader status. She lived here with her sisters for safety, less she be caught and used as a hostage against them.

Like him.

And her life went on. Repetitive and seemingly never ending.

"Misty?"

The red head turned to see the green haired man looking at her. He wore a white coat with piles of books held against his chest. "What is it Tracey?" Misty asked, curiously.

The technician shuffled his feet, nervously, a bad habit he hand picked up. He shuffled through several sheaves of paper, biting his lip as he flicked through them. "I have something for you-" he broke of as several sheaves drifted to the floor. Misty bent to pick them up but Tracey's Sciscor had already scooped them up with surprisingly delicate claws and handed them back to his master. "Thanks," Tracey smiled, before locating the needed piece of paper, "Here we are,"

Misty took the crumpled sheet, her eyes drawn to the tear and blood stains on it. "Looks like the messenger Pidgey's are getting intercepted again,"

Tracey shrugged, "Team Rocket wouldn't be able to work out the code anyway. The Pidgey made it to us, chased by several members of the Ghastly family. Looks like the Rocket Lavender Division had been working on that Pokémon mutation."

Misty's eyes widened, "What were these like?"

Tracey picked a picture of the top of the pile, showing it to her. "Your Gyrados took three of the monstrosities down. Seems like they've been working on Muk/Gengar crosses." The image showed a decaying body, looking like a small purple demon with sludge for features and an evil grin plastered on its unseeing face. Misty turned away in disgust.

Her turquoise eyes drifted back to the letter. Seeing the sender she tutted in surprise, "Wonder what the Western SECTION branches have to say. Pewter and Viridian think they are so much higher than Cerulean and Vermillion." Her eyes rolled. The four SECTION branches seemed to be slip into two, the two on the eastern side of Kanto separated from the west. They rarely linked. Misty flicked through the letter, her eyes scanning across the page.

"What do they want?" Tracey asked curiously.

Misty paused for a moment before answering. "I don't know," she replied eventually. "The decoders seem to have messed this up properly!" She frowned before throwing her hand down in annoyance, "Best I can make out is that a shadow is hunting for gears. I've got to warn Lorelei." She snorted. "Why they sent this to me I don't know,"

"What does DeeDee mean?" Tracey said, tipping his head upside down in an attempt to read the mail. Misty showed it to him and he frowned, "Who the hell is Rock? And what is that about leaves?"

"Brock?" Misty shrugged. "Maybe I'm meant to show Leaf?" She sighed, slumping against the wall. Then she stood up again, "Where is Leaf?"

Tracey shrugged. "Where she normally is…I guess. Wherever that is…" he was left talking to the wall though as Misty had already turned away, walking at a fast pace. He called after her, "I'd slow down if I were you. People will begin to think you don't have anything better to do."

Misty didn't turn as she called over her shoulder, "I don't!" Azurmaril was close behind her, trotting at her heels.

* * *

><p><strong>[08:01AM] – May 17<strong>**th**** - Cerulean City – Cerulean Cave – SECTION Base – Intel – Leaf**

The woman with long, straight brown hair slammed her filing cabinet closed with a loud crash. She smiled at the noise, as if it pleased her. From the top of the grey metal cabinet she hooked her white hat down, modelling it on her head for a few seconds before satisfied. She wore a short red skirt with a blue shirt, white shoes with blue socks. She posed thinking about something before coming to a decision.

"Ditty! Rise and shine!"

The filing cabinet in front of her seemed to shimmer for a moment, before it seemed to globule into a jelly –like substance. The grey faded and it gradually became a pale pink, with little dot like eyes and a small mouth. The blob shrank to, until it was only the size of a handbag.

"To?" (Good enough?) The Ditto asked. Leaf nodded.

"That was pretty convincing. You just need to remember to include files in the filing cabinet. If some Team Member wants to file something away it will look a bit odd if that is the only thing in there."

The blob seemed to consider this before proudly remarking, "DittoDit!"

The woman nodded, "I told you could maintain forms while sleeping." Now she addressed the pink sphere with large blue eyes, "Thanks for the song Jiggly!" The Jigglypuff squeaked happily, waving its microphone that doubled as a pen with her hand. Her large eyes blinked mischievously.

There was a knock at the door. The Ditto and Jigglypuff looked at the woman curiously but she shrugged. "How am I meant to know who it is?" she protested as she wondered over to it, twisting the bolt and pulling it open. Her face lightened though as she saw the visitor and she stepped back, letting Misty step into the room.

"Leaf, can you make any sense of this?"

Leaf pouted, "What, not even a Hello? Hello Leaf? How are you? I'm fine thank you for asking, how are-"

"Leaf,"

The woman threw up her hands in exasperation, "Fine, fine," she moved forwards under the lamp to peer at the crumbled, blood specked paper. She winced, "Looks like those Messenger Pidgey were some creatures' lunch,"

Misty nodded, "I think they were," she admitted, but didn't say any more.

Leaf sat down in a chair, sighing as she stared at the translated code. "Looks like they mucked up the code _again__**. **_Do you have the original?"

"Flip it," Misty told her, and Leaf did so, finding the original on the back.

The brown haired girl poured over the original coded letter. Then she looked at the translation. She nodded impressed, "A code inside a code. Impressive. Looks like something Gary would try."

Misty looked at her eagerly, "I think its talking about you since your name's in there."

The woman in the white hat nodded in agreement, holding a hand out. Her Ditto obliged, morphing into a pencil with two small dot eyes and a large pink rubber on the end. Leaf began scribbling away on the crumpled paper. She paused after a while, chewing the pencil thoughtfully before realising what she was doing, stopping it and letting the pencil morph back into a disgruntled pink blob. The woman gave a hasty apology.

"Well, best I can comprehend is this." She cleared her throat, "It's from Gary but he sent it via Pewter and they added something. Letter: Misty, we need to meet somewhere to discuss something. Where the moon faeries dance at… when the full moon was meant to Leaf so she can come to. It concerns both of you. Whatever you hear, whoever you hear it from, don't trust the rumours about the shadow. Trust him, he is your friend. That's where Gary's message end and SECTION added something under it. Recently apprehended man named Shadow. Escaped from Pewter base. He knew everything about me Misty… wait, this is from Dawn!" Leaf's tone grew excited.

"What else does it say?" Misty asked, frowning.

Leaf peered at it, "I don't think he's bad but I don't think we can trust him. He's hunting Time Gears. Need you to try and get to them before him. Use them as bait. My only hint is talk to Lorelei. Brock sends his love. Dee Dee," Leaf snorted. "She hates that name."

Misty tucked a loose strand of orange hair behind her ears, "Dee Dee is Dawn?" she asked.

Leaf nodded, smirking, "Stands for Diamond Dandruff. Childhood nicknames…" she sighed, smiling. Misty elbowed her gently.

"What? Like Green, Blue and…" her face fell and she crossed her arms across her chest and forced a smile. Leaf noticed her actions but didn't comment. She nodded. "Yeah, like that."

There was an awkward silence before Leaf jumped into action. "Ditty, I need a calendar, accurate for this month, showing dates, times, events and most importantly…" her eyes gleamed, "Moons,"

The blob seemed to roll its eyes before shimmering. The pink condensed, into a thin paper booklet. It was still pink, and each month had pictures of Ditto and more Ditto. Now it was Leaf's turn to roll her eyes but she didn't comment, instead flicking to the current month.

She paused, "What month is it again?"

Once Misty would have hit her head but it wasn't an odd question. She had to think for a few seconds before answering, "May," She counted the days on her fingers, "The seventeenth,"

Leaf flicked the calendar to a page where blue dittos wore black glasses and suits. She tutted, "Shame, I forgot to tease May about it. I always used to call her April this month,"

Misty tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear again, "I'm sure she doesn't mind," she reassured the brunette.

Leaf nodded, her finger running along the page. She tapped a date triumphantly. "There. The twenty second. Full moon!" She smirked, "Then we have to find where the moon faeries dance and…oh it sounds so romantic," She grew starry eyed.

Misty elbowed her friend sharply in the ribs, "I'm sure Gary missed you to. But I swear I am not putting up with your lovey dovey girlfriend boyfriend act for one second. Got it?"

Leaf seemed unperturbed. She shrugged but refrained from a retort. Her ditto transformed back into its natural shape, looking fed up. Leaf's blue eyes were thoughtful.

"So, we should get ready to go to Mount Moon then," Misty shrugged.

Leaf gazed at her curiously, "Why Mount…" her mouth formed a small 'o' of understanding. "Of course. The Clefairy." She smiled. "Mount Moon," Her blue eyes sparkled thoughtfully and her mouth was twisted in a mischievous grin.

Misty knew something bad was coming. She voiced her fears in the easiest way possible.

"I hate it when you get that look,"

* * *

><p><strong>[10:12AM] – May 17<strong>**th**** – Celadon Cit****y – Celad****on Gym – Erika**

"Move it you lazy lot!" The rocket grunt snarled at the grass-type trainers. Erika let her black hair fall over her face as she plucked another leaf from the plant. She winced, feeling its pain but pushed it aside, laying the green plant in her basket.

"Rocket Scum," The young boy next to her muttered, angry eyed. His back was red and swollen under his pale white shirt. The blood had already soaked through, staining it red. The grunts were all too quick to use the whip on them.

Erika reached forward a comforting hand, "It's all right Joey! It's okay! The League will sort it all out one day and the Rockets can burn in hell." She hoped her fevered whisper was correct.

"Stop whispering!" The man behind them shouted and Erica turned away, plucking another leaf from the plant.

Smoke weed. A lethal toxin that the Team used to create poisons from. When burnt it provided a deadly gas. The Team still hadn't worked out how to contain it within bombs yet, but they were getting there. Slowly. Erica feared for the rebels when they finally discovered how for whole nations were at their mercy then.

She plucked another weed, taking a quick glance around the gym. It was worth the skin of her back to stay here, checking that all her precious grass type trainers were safe. They were like children to her. Her brothers and sisters she had never had. The rocket guard with red hair and a peaked cap glanced her way and she let her black hair fall over her face as she continued her work. The green headband was still tied through it, just as it always had been.

Next to her, the young trainer, Joey breathed quietly, "When will League forces reach us?"

Erica gave him a wry grin, "I don't know. Soon Joey. Soon," she promised. "One day we'll be back in the gym, happy and carefree. All our Pokémon will be here and it will be peaceful." Her eyes gleamed with hope as she spoke, her voice barely containing the vision.

The young trainer caught onto her mood, "Will I get to see Ratata again?" His voice sounded so hopeful, so damn hopeful. Like he was offering candy to a child. Erika's heart reached out to the young boy she loved like a brother.

She nodded, "And I'll find my Gloom and Sunflora. We'll all be together again," She smiled at him, painting the image in Youngster Joey's mind.

He blinked at her happily. "I look forward to that day," His hand plucked another leaf from smoke weed. The heavy footsteps of the rocket guard were audible and Erika turned back to her work, keeping her head down.

She hoped that she was right.

* * *

><p><strong>[10:13AM] – May 17<strong>**th**** – Celadon City – Unknown**

He watched the world pass by.

And he wondered on the reasons.

Why?

Where?

How?

His eyes closed, blocking the grey, dull, unchanging sky from his eyes. He examined the memories in his head of kindness, love and beauty. Of sacrifice and meaning, a purpose in life.

Then he opened his eyes and examined the consequence.

Anger rose within him. Anger at the anger, and hatred that had been introduced. It snuffed of the light of the kindness and empathy like snuffing out a candle. His eyes narrowed. He stared at the oppressors, letting the hatred build.

They would pay, all of them.

Let them _burn_.

* * *

><p><strong>[10:19AM] – May 17<strong>**th**** – Celadon City – Rooftop of Celadon Department Store - Janine**

The ninja sat, her feet hanging of the edge of the building. Her short purple hair was tied up, making her face look angled and narrow. A short purple cloak sat behind her, dropping onto the rooftop. Below her the world was hers to see, spread out below her. Her violet eyes examined the world, seeing the faults of mankind. Her lips curled at the marching Team members in the streets, disdain rising in her. Then sorrow.

If only she could find her father.

Not that she couldn't if she tried. It had been her quest for so long she hardly wanted to complete it. To find Koga of the Elites was hardly difficult, but then it was hardly easy.

Janine just didn't want her quest to end.

She sighed, watching over the city. Then, bored, she turned her gaze to the unchanging sky.

Something caught her attention. A figure with a ragged brown travelling cloak. Standing on another high office building.

Hope rose within her. It was impossible to get up there unless you had special powers of some sort. Janine stood from where she hand sat, her feet balanced right on the edge of the building. Her eyes gleamed at the figure, then her brows narrowed in confusion, forming a 'V' shape.

Across from her the spectral figure had one arm outstretched. From it a wave…a pulse seemed to radiate outwards. Janine stumbled at the sound, her well-tuned ears picking it up.

* * *

><p><strong>[10:20AM] – 17<strong>**th**** May – Outside Celadon City – Ash**

Ash flinched and materialised mid-teleport.

"What the hell was that?" he gasped, clutching his ears, trying to block out the...

ScreamingPainDarknessHellFire...

Burn.

* * *

><p><strong>[10:21AM] – May 17<strong>**th**** – Celadon City – Rooftop of Celadon Department Store - Janine**

The ninja girl struggled to maintain her balance on the building edge, and stumbled, thankfully backwards. Her eyes widened and her arms were outstretched in shock as she watched the power omitting from the cloaked figure.

Not her father. Not her father. Not her father.

Janine watched in awe as the waves became more rapid, and the heat seemed to build, coming from the outstretched hand of the stranger.

Down below the rocket's marched in ignorance, blissfully unaware to their fate.

The Ninja Master watched as flames began to flicker, spreading outwards from the epicentre. Her mouth dropped open as she watched the ripple flames spreading in a sphere up, down, all direction.

Taking the best course of action possible the ninja turned and sprinted for her life.

* * *

><p><strong>[10:23AM] – 17<strong>**th**** May – Outside Celadon City – Ash**

His auburn gaze flittered upwards. To a point in the sky that seemed to explode with energy. Weakly he could still feel the pulse of power behind the barriers he had emitted around his mind.

Besides him Raichu chirped in alarm. Va let out a plaintive cry.

And the sky seemed to explode.

* * *

><p><strong>[10:23AM] – May 17<strong>**th**** – Celadon City – Celadon Gym – Erika**

It was all calm. They were picking the smoke weed, snatching the odd conversation.

Then the room filled with heat and Erika's one ear seemed unable to work.

The Nature Loving Princess turned across to the other side of the room. She stared in shock at the wall that had been there, but now was crumpled, engulfed in flames. The truth hit her like one of the sparkling, dancing embers.

Celedon City was burning.

Disgust rose in her. Her beloved, beautiful city was burning.

Heat. There was heat rising up, and it was too hot. A dreadful smell filled the room, sickly sweet and it made her head spin. She gagged and pressed her ragged sleeve to her mouth in an attempt to avoid the poisonous fumes. She staggered across to where two of the beauties that had worked in her gym had been working. The now lay on the floor unmoving.

Dead.

Not them. They couldn't die. Then Erika remembered the youngster that had been beside her. "Joey!" she cried and the two met, Erika clutching the young boy making sure he was all right. His eyes were wild.

"We have to get out miss Erika," he gasped. Erika's one ear was ringing and she couldn't hear. But the panic and general situation set in.

This way!" she cried, pulling him along. She almost tripped over a sprawling Lass, and she dragged Tanya with her. The girl's one ear was bleeding from the sound of the impact and she was just as panicked as Joey. The gym leader pushed them ahead of her.

The rocket barred their way. "Not so fast. Bet this is all the little rebels planned. Well if I die…you die…" An evil sneer lit his face. At his feet a weak form huddled. "Gloom, get these idiots out of the way,"

Erika's eyes widened. "Gloom?" she asked. Then her gaze fell to the Pokémon and she fell to her knees in relief. "Oh Gloom it is you!"

The Pokémon's gaze slid over her blankly.

The black haired girl's eyes widened in shock. Her Pokémon…her Gloom. He could see the little nick in the leaf that her Pokémon had and that spot above her eyes. _Her_ Gloom.

"Powder them,"

"Nooo!" Erika screamed. Once again the Pokémon merely blinked, before sending out a spray of powders.

Erica was begging, "Gloom. Do you remember me? I'm your trainer. It's me! Erica!"

Erika must have been lucky. She was hit with a paralyzing powder. It only caught her one half of her body and made her numb to the bullet that skimmed her side. The two next to her were caught in the full blast of a poison powder, coughing and dry retching. Tanya pushed Erica down out of the way. "Please leave miss Erica. Escape! For us!" Erika couldn't have if she wanted to. Fear rooted her, and her paralyzed limbs refused to obey.

The Team member levelled of the gun at her friends. "Time to deal with you for good," He snarled.

He must have been oblivious to the burning flames. He must have wanted to get the hell out of there and save his own life. But he took the time to let his finger slide towards the trigger.

No.

She wouldn't let it happen.

Erika screamed.

* * *

><p><strong>[10:30AM] – 17<strong>**th**** May – Outside Celadon City – Ash**

Ash froze, blinking at the sound that rent the air. The sorrow contained within was unmistakable, piercing and soul tearing. It split the air, above the general panic from the explosion over the city. His head tilted to one side, trying to place it.

Next to him Raichu blinked his dark eyes, tilting his head on one side. "Rai?" (What was that?)

Ash shrugged the black cloak he had donned rustling slightly as he spread his gloved hands, "I don't know. Someone sounds sad."

His black Lucario was leaning against a tree, his eyes closed. A low growl issued from his throat and the raven haired man turned to look at the jackal. "You can talk," Ash snarled.

One blood red eye shot open and the jackal curled his lip, "RoRiocar Lucar,"

Ash paused, considering it. _"We can't help everybody in this damn war,"_

A purple fox looked down from the tree branch she was perched on. _"They'll be Rockets," _she reminded him calmly. Her dark eyes gleamed faintly with the prospect of a battle. Her eyes were pupil less and the centre of her ears a dark blue. In the centre of her forehead sat a deep red jewel that sparkled with psychic energy. Her forked tail flicked in anticipation.

Raichu let his long whip like tail flicker from side to side, _"Let's cause havoc,"_ he agreed, dark energy sparkling on his pale cheek pouches.

The raven haired man wasn't one to argue with that. His eyes were shadowed but his mouth was curled up in a smile. He was silent but with a slight shimmering his form vanished as he teleported away. Lucario opened his other scarlet eye lazily. Raichu chirped softly before he vanished to.

"_Coming?" _The Espeon asked, her one foot held against her body as she prepared to leap down. The Lucario shook his head.

"_There will be plenty more opportunities to vent my wrath upon them,"_

The fox gave a snort, her fur shimmering. Instead of teleporting, the whole of her being seemed to rip across space and time, morphing the fox. Her pink fur grew orange and a mane of flames sprang up around her neck. Her black eyes grew bright sapphire blue. She shivered, her red fur seeming to flame up before jumping upwards. Her feet had just left the branch before she had teleported away, jumping through dimensions.

* * *

><p><strong>[10:32AM] – 17<strong>**th**** May – Celadon City – Celadon Gym – Erica**

"Silence, girl!" The grunt's hand shot out, slapping her across the face. It knocked away a tear drop and sent the girl flying across the floor. Erica lay with her eyes burning with sadness and anger as the black dressed man took a step towards her across the floor. She could see his black polished boots, his black trousers and polo neck shirt, the red letter R still resting on it. The man was masked, his sharp eyes gleaming at her through the slits.

His face was twisted in malice. "And now you die gym leader. How does it feel?" The gun materialised in his gloved hand.

Erica glared at him, "I hope you rot in hell!" she hissed, her fists clenched. She wasn't scared. Why should she be? She would see all her beloved friends again. She blinked calmly at him, preparing to meet her fate.

The grunt's finger slipped towards the trigger. His smile grew wider. And then his body stiffened.

"I agree with the girl," A deep voice said. A disbelieving grunt looked down at the shining black blade piercing his chest and had inly seconds to marvel at the blood dripping from his body before his life drained out of him. Erica had only time to glimpse a dark cloaked figure before there was a rush of heat and the side of the gym erupted into flames.

She screamed again, turning her face away from the burning heat. The orange fire flickered and danced, licking at the wooden walls. There was a creaking above her. She cast a frightened green gaze upwards. Her eyes widened. How could the building burn this quickly? Above her, the embers eating at wooden beams had left it balanced precariously above her. Erica's body froze.

"Va! Rai! To me!" Erica's face was drawn to the dark figure as a Flareon and Raichu materialised beside him. The fire fox was chattering something but Erica couldn't hear the sounds.

She scrambled to her feet, forcing herself to move and managed to walk three steps before the wall in front of her crumbled. Only now did she whirl on the man.

"What's happening!" she screamed. "You're destroying the gym!"

He looked mildly amused, "That's the idea. Although it was already pretty battered. Now, for the next bit it might be better if you close your eyes," A gloved hand grasped her arm strongly, even as she tried to pull away and then the flames vanished.

Twisting…

Morphing…

Time…

Space…

The ground slammed into her and the world tilted alarmingly sideways.

* * *

><p><strong>[11:34AM] – May 17<strong>**th**** – Outside Celadon City – Ash/Erica**

The black haired woman woke feeling terribly cold. She shivered and opened her eyes.

Instantly the world span alarmingly around her and she slammed her eyelids shut again. She heard faint movement around her.

"She's waking up," The deep voice of her rescuer. "Va, some healing elements will be good now,"

There was a vibrant cry, "FeonLeaf?" The tone was musical, rising and falling in pitch. Erica's eyes opened as she recognised the tone of a Leafeon. (That better?)

The world had stopped spinning and she tried to sit up to see her rescuer. A dark shape at her side steadied her. "Slowly, teleporting is really bad for wounded people. Makes you feel nauseous,"

Erica shook the fog from her thoughts. Her hand was still pressed against her side but when she spread her pale fingers there was no blood. Her green eyes drifted to the ripped material. She froze.

"What happened to my wound?"

The man standing behind her chuckled, "I healed you. Va helped too," The fox in front of her did a little dance. It was cream with brown paws and green tipped ears. The tail resembled a leaf, as did the centre of her forehead. Her eyes were a pale brown.

Erica smiled, "You have a Leafeon and Flareon?" she asked, remembering the fire fox from the flames. The her mind jolted back to her dead friends and she stiffened. She had tried to push them out the way but… she screwed the memories into a ball of anger and pocketed it for later. There would be plenty of time for revenge.

The man beside her smiled, not noticing her musings, but if he did he didn't show it, "Sometimes,"

Erica frowned. That was no answer. Then a thought struck her. "Wait…_you_ healed my wounds?" Her head turned to the man leaning against the tree to her right. He wore a black cloak, black gloves and generally black clothing. He had a hood up but tussled raven hair was visible. She swallowed nervously at the dark man, realising she didn't even know his name.

He shifted uncomfortably, "Yes. I can use aura. I healed you with it." He was still leaning against the tree, his face hidden so Erica leaned for wards, feeling stronger. He turned his head as she did though and her eyes narrowed.

She pulled her knees to her chin wrapping her arms around her legs, "Explain about your Leafeon."

Another dark chuckle that sent chills up her spine, "Well she's a Leafeon…sometimes. She's a Flareon too…sometimes. Most of the time she's just a plain old Vaporeon…"

Erica stiffened, "She's a morph? All of the Eeveelutions?"

The man nodded, "Mostly she is a Vaporeon but she likes to show off." The prancing verdant Pokémon glared at him, barking something in her musical voice. Then, her whole form shimmered and seemed to crackle. Erica blinked, and in front of her stood a Vaporeon. She gasped, then covered her mouth.

"Who _are_ you?" Erica asked, curtly. The man didn't answer.

Slowly, almost painfully she stood up, easing her stiff muscles before striding forwards, turning to look at the man. Her gaze flitted over his shadowed features for a few seconds.

Ash looked back at her, noticing who she was for the first time. "Erica?" He was surprised. He spoke to Rai, "Looks like we rescued a gym leader." He frowned at her, "A gym leader who doesn't work for SECTION…"

Erica had been living under the rule of Rockets for too long. She had heard the rumours and she flinched now looking at the dead man in front of her. "What?"

Ash blinked at her, "You really have been out of it. You don't know about anything do you?" His dark eyes grew sorrowful, "I am truly sorry for you. Four years of living like that."

Erica was surprised at this. Her lips curled. She mirrored him, leaning against a tree and crossing her arms, "So enlighten me, you whose name I don't know."

Ash smirked, "The League is split in two. The cowards…" he gestured with one hand, "The main League hide away in Diglett's cave. And SECTION," he gestured with his other hand, "The militant rebels who fight."

"Whose side are you on?"

He shook his head, "So many questions…"he mused, "I don't work for anybody. I was in SECTION…once…but that was in the day when the cowards thought they knew what to do. That job killed me."

Vaporeon and Raichu let out separate growls. Erica felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

"SECTION had four bases. Cerulean Cave. Mount Moon. Viridian Forest. Vermillion. The Rockets…the Team, whatever those scum of the earth call themselves… they have a hold in Celadon, Fushia, Cinnabar, Viridian and their main base…Saffron."

Erica nodded, absorbing this, "You didn't mention Pewter or Cerulean…" she noted.

Ash shook his head, "No man's land. Everybody skirts around the edges, not willing to cross territories. And the other place….Pallet…well…that's history,"

Erica missed the note of sorrow in his voice, "I heard the Pokémon league is destroyed. There was a battle there three years ago. Rockets killed some of the League members who had been double agents, posing as Rockets. They say that was the start of the war."

The woman again noted the silence. She glanced up at the man in front of her and instantly wished she hadn't when she saw the look of anger and pain in his eyes. He spoke eventually.

"I was there. I was one of the agents."

Erica titled her head to one side, "You must have escaped," she contemplated.

He shook his head, "I didn't." He eyed her warily. "Do you recognise me Erica? Probably not, since it has been eight years since I last saw you, challenging your gym." A wry smile crossed his face, "You wouldn't let me in because I didn't like your perfume… remember?"

The woman tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear, thinking back over all her challenges. She prided herself in remembering everyone and she was working through them. Slowly. Her eyes flickered up at the shadowy man. She blinked.

She gazed at him for a few more seconds before she worked it out.

"Ash?"

He didn't react, his eyes impassive. He nodded slowly, but kept his hood up.

"Why do you hide?"

He smirked, "I was killed up at the League that day. My dead body was thrown over a cliff." His voice was cold.

The grass type trainer shook her head, "Not possible. You're standing before me right now."

Ash nodded, agreeing with her, "So I am. What does that make me?"

"Dead?" Erika couldn't make any sense of it. She shook her head. "You're hiding from everybody? Wouldn't they be happy that you aren't dead?" she didn't try to question the shadow further.

Ash shook his head, "I can't see them. I have a mission." His eyes seemed to gleam, "A relatively good mission if you consider the amount of rockets I get to kill. When this mess of a world is fixed and time is running I fade from existence. I die. Time moves on, I'm left behind." His fists clenched, "No coming back,"

Erica stood up from leaning on the tree, "That seems a bit unfair," she commented.

Ash rolled his eyes, "Tell me about it," he sighed. His cloak wafted in the breeze. Erica suddenly became aware of the dark presence haunting the former champion.

"Why are you telling me this? How do you know I'm not going to run to SECTION and tell everybody that you're back? Throw a welcome party?"

Ash stood up, brushing down his black clothes. His eyes gleamed darkly and he smirked, "You're not," he said.

"How do you know?" Erica protested.

"Because you won't," was the cryptic answer. The dark man turned east and began to walk slowly through the forest. He didn't look back.

Erica stared at him in confusion, "Where are you going?"

"Do you want the truth of the part-truth?" Ash threw back over his shoulder. In the trees above him the Nature Loving Princess noticed his Raichu running along. Va trotted at his heels, tail waving back and forth. Her green eyes didn't notice the shadowy fox and jackal in the shadows.

"Tell me where you're going Ash!" Erica shouted, running a few steps after him. Her feet thudded on the ground and he paused, half turning to look at her.

"Truth. I'm hunting for time gears. I'm heading to Saffron to steal the two the Team have in their possession. Part-truth. I'm going rocket hunting."

Once these words would have sent shivers up Erica's spine. But now she felt something stirring deep within her. Her thoughts flashed back to the memory of those in her gym. If it hadn't been for those foul accursed bastards they would still be here.

She fought away tears.

"You mustn't follow me," Ash warned, "Revenge is not your path," The emotions rolling off her reminded him too much of himself, all those years ago. He still was.

She shook her head, "What about your path? Are you not motivated by revenge?"

He regarded her coldly, "You could get hurt. Me…" He turned away. "I don't have anything to lose,"

Erica watched as his figure walked away, black against black, the forest dark around them. She made up her minds seconds later.

The Celadon Gym Leader was following shadows.

* * *

><p><strong>AN - Finally got that to my liking. Although I still think the Erica scenes are rushed. The introduction of Janine was a little rash since I don't know where that plot is going. But I needed someone to bear witness to Unknown, blowing up Celadon.**

**Unknown above is probably kinda' obvious, but I like his short part. He might even make another brief and unidentified appearance.**

**Hope you guys all like Leaf. She kinda wrote herself into the story with a very manga version of her character there. She and Misty are currently together. MISTY IS ALIVE.**

**And the main purpose of the last scene was to bring Erica into the picture as she plays a role. I always liked her and so have given her a minor spotlight. **

**Hope y'all enjoyed it! ~ Eclipse**


	4. Frozen World

**Chapter 4 – Frozen World**

"_Accursed traitors and spies. This world is not worthy to join our regime. We will eliminate every unworthy life form from this planet and make it out own. It will be better. There will be no poverty. No death. No sorrow. We will have all the time in the world. No sickness. No unhappiness. No crime." "Yeah, that's because this world would be ruled by the criminals," _Giovanni and Lance_ – Destruction of the Pokémon League_

* * *

><p><strong>[10:33AM] – May 17<strong>**th**** – South of Johto/Kanto – Alto Mare – The Secret Garden – Lance**

The champion's black cloak waved in the breeze gently. His spiky red hair was salty and wet with condensation from the ever still clouds. Behind him his orange dragon let out its dirge-like call. Flying over the sea was an eerie experience, the waves unmoving and frozen, waves stopped mid-wave. The silence was unnerving, the constant roar of the sea silent for once.

It was as if the whole world had frozen.

Now Lance stood here on this Arceus forsaken island. He hadn't known it was this _bad._ They had thought this small insignificant island wasn't a problem. That it would fare better than the mainland.

The streets were silent. The houses were empty. And the whole place stunk of disease. There wasn't a soul in sight. Lance had walked along what once must have been waterways. The odd boat was parked here and there; some of them looked like they had still been travelling when the water was sucked out of the city. The island had gained a mile radius of extra, bare, barren earth. Around it the water hovered, help back by a strange force.

Lance had found his way here easily enough. The whole place resonated with the soul of a dragon, and his orange monstrosity had been no exception to this. He had winged his way here as quickly and as swiftly as the wind that had once blown its way through the city, turning the dry leaves in the streets and rustling the silent trees.

A garden in the middle of a city… was unexpected. With the rolling hills and once falling waterfall. A small fountain held shattered remnants of some sort of crystal ball. Lance's gaze drifted past that towards the graves on the hills. His footsteps were slow and heavy as he approached the weathered stone.

_From ash to ashes, the earth doust we rise_

_Sun settest and riseth o'er what we leave behind_

The two graves stood back to back, and there was no apparent similarity between the two other than the shape and the carving upon them. One was a more modern, pale marble while the other was old yellowing sandstone. Lance read them both, blinking at them. The words upon the yellowed gravestone were faded and her leaned forwards, his fingers tracing the words.

He sighed at the indecipherable legit. But the verse was clear. His gaze flickered up.

_From ash to ashes, the world doust we rise_

_Sun settest and riseth o'er what we leave behind_

The words were ringing around his head as he repeated them to himself. He glanced at the sixth word of the first line. Then moved to the other grave and looked at it. Then back at the other. Then he ran the words through his head.

And froze.

He had heard those words before.

At a funeral. Someone had died. _Him._ When he had been killed. The words read out by a league official.

Ash to ashes. Ash.

His hand had been midway to his Pokétch when he stopped, pulling his sleeve over it again. He would leave it for now. He knelt in front of the newer grave. A simple entry. No name.

To a beloved brother and guardian of our home. That was the Latios all right. Died eight years ago. Soul Dew destroyed three years ago. Lance's eyes flickered to what he had thought to be a crystal orb.

"Ah,"

He moved back to the other grave, tracing the faint marks left there. He found himself forming rough letters. From his pocket he pulled pen and paper, writing them down.

_Auron ~ Hurc Guarbiar f Hanlo_

He narrowed his eyes at this. He tried again. Some letters must have been mistaken for another. He got this.

_Aaron ~ Hura Guardiar f Kanlo_

He smiled. He could guess the rest, sort out the letters.

_Aaron ~ Aura Guardian of Kanto_

May's words echoed in his head. An aura guardian whose body was moved from south of Johto. Aaron.

Lance stepped back. This wasn't helpful. But then wasn't it odd either that the same verse had been at the funeral of an aura guardian? How much had his old friend known?

He stepped back. He should probably be contacting May right now, but to tell her his suspicions would be foolish. It would give them all false hopes.

Ash was dead.

Wasn't he?

* * *

><p><strong>[12:14PM] – May 17<strong>**th**** – SECTION Viridian Base – North West of Viridian City – May**

The brunette tied her hair up in her bandana. She screwed up her blue eyes, looking at her faint reflection in the dark computer. Her fingers tapped the table impatiently. There wasn't much for her to do when the power was out.

She spun in her chair, eyes looking upwards at the faint light in the room. The single light bulb hung from a wire, dangling helplessly. May wished they could get the generators working again. At least, she mused, the electric Pokémon could have a break.

Her Ninetales was currently providing the light, a warm glow engulfing her golden body. Her golden eyes were slanted as she rested her head on her paws, her nine tails waving dejectedly around. "Nyah," she sighed, tiredly. (Tired.)

May Maple nodded in agreement. They had been so busy the past two days. After that report from Mount Moon had arrived she had been trying to find out the identity of Shadow. She had been trawling through data but to no avail. No living person in this world matched his appearance and given information. It was a lost cause. A wild goose-chase. Dawn had phoned up several times to add info but even searching through card data information to find the owner of the security key had failed.

The verse had been ringing through her head to. The words seemed hauntingly familiar and she was still waiting for Lance to make his report. If his damn Dragonite flew as fast as he boasted he should have been there and back by now. She slammed her fist down on the table and stood up.

Her fox looked up, "Nyii?" (What now?)

"I'm calling that damn champion. He thinks he can just do what he likes sometimes but he ain't this time," In her anger her Hoenn accent was strengthened. The brunette reached for her Poketch, dialling Lance's number.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:15PM] – May 17<strong>**th**** – South Johto/Kanto – Alto Mare Ruins – Lance**

Lance cancelled the call. He couldn't take it now and he only hoped the beeping had not alerted the rockets _walking on the other side of the tree he was hiding behind._

They had turned up about half an hour ago when he was rounding up his investigation. He had hidden, listening to their plans. The two of them seemed like bumbling idiots, arguing about stupid things and the female, constantly smacking the male.

"You idiot! We are here to find that Soul Dew, not sort out your hair!"

"Damn. There's nothing here but that ol' pond 'n some graves,"

Lance stiffened. He had been listening to their general chatter for a while and was bored to death. This seemed to prove more interesting. He motioned to Dragonite to stand ready.

His Pokétch beeped again and he cancelled it. May would be really pissed off but he would explain later. Unfortunately the Rockets had heard.

"What was that?"

"What?"

"That beeping?"

"What beeping?"

Now there was the sound of someone hitting someone. Lance smirked. Dragonite bared his teeth. The orange tail lashed and the giant crouched, prepared to leap.

When the first voices had floated towards the champion Lance had taken refuge behind the tree. His dragon was too large to be hidden by thin trunks and had hidden behind the still waterfall. Now it the shadows he waited, eyes gleaming.

Lance waved his hand once.

A signal.

And the raging orange monstrosity burst forth from the waterfall.

Blue eyes gleamed and the teeth were bared, a dragon rage forming in his bloody maw. The water cascaded over his orange scale, dancing in the daylight and claws were outstretched as Dragonite leapt towards the two startled Rockets.

The one, a man with blue hair gave a startled scream and leapt comically into his partner, a woman with blonde hair, arms. She held him there in shock before realising and with a disgusted look dropped him on the floor and turned to bolt.

She ran straight into Lance who barrelled her back towards his dragon. She skidded to a halt, freezing. Her amber eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms arrogantly. Her partner stood up slowly, then as if realising something stood back to back with her, mimicking her pose.

"Prepare for Trouble," She announced, contemptuously.

"And make it double," the man added, smirking.

"To infect the world with devastation,"

"To blight all peoples within the nation," The two took alternative lines as they recited the strange poem.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

The woman brandished a fist, "Cassidy!" she cried.

The man mimicked her, a mirror, "Butch!"

The two glared at the champion, "Team Rocket circling the earth both day and night. Surrender to us now or prepare to lose the fight!"

They stood like that for a few moments and Lance stared at them.

Then he burst into laughter.

The two looked slightly put-of at this, their faces indignant.

"That….that was…" he could barely contain his mirth, "That is the saddest thing… I have _ever_ seen!" He doubled over and the two Rockets looked confused.

Butch brandished a fist, "Is our motto meant to be funny?" he growled in his whiny voice.

Lance straightened smiling, smoothing his ruffled cloak, "I only wish all members of the Team were as stupid as you. Then we would have won this war long ago," His eyes burnt with anger.

Cassidy bristled, "We are _not_ stupid," she hissed.

Lance crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently, "Stupid," he mocked. Behind the Rockets Dragonite growled making them both, leap about a foot in the air. "So…Cassidy and Botch…"

"IT'S BUTCH!"

"You look like you might be coming with me," Lance ignored the interruption.

Cassidy smirked. "Oh yeah. You're so confident champion. As if we would want to come with you," she laughed, flicking her hand as if in dismissal.

Lance tilted his head to one side, confused. "It's not whether you want to or not."

Butch smirked, his eyes dancing maliciously, "See you later," He waved. His gaze jumped to something over Lance's shoulders and he instinctively ducked.

It could have been a trick. If so it would have been a very good one and Lance almost wished that it was the case. But unfortunately as he ducked something whistled over his head. The Rockets dived out of the way as a large Aerodactyl swopped overhead. The grey claws were outstretched, rocky head snapping as Dragonite and Aerodactyl clashed. The force was so large it sent the dragon flying back into the fountain, sending a wave of water towards where Butch and Cassidy were lying.

Had been lying.

Those scum.

Lance left his Dragonite to sort out the giant fossil, his feet pounding on the ground as he raced after the rockets.

He didn't get that far. He skidded to a halt in front of a brick wall. How the hell could they run through walls? He reached out…

And fell right through it.

He blinked, but didn't have time to contemplate the mysteries of a wall that was not a wall. The two black suited grunts were racing around a corner and Lance gritted his teeth, racing after them.

_Beep beep. Beep beep._

"What May?" Lance shouted, as he raced along the street.

The brunette sounded really pissed off as she spoke, her Hoenn accent even more noticeable than usual. "You're late with your report. And there's a power cut and I'm bored to death. Where are you? I've got a really bad signal."

Lance skidded around another corner. "I'm chasing Rockets. Why?"

Her reply was high pitched, "Rockets? Where?"

Lance cursed as he followed the two up some winding stairs. "Two of them. Bitch and Cassidy"

"It's BUTCH!"

"They were looking for the Soul Dew. I had them cornered but was attacked by a giant Aerodactyl."

There was a pause. Lance guessed that May must have nodded for she then spoke, "Oh, yes, I know. It and a Kabutops used to terrorise the city until a Latios saved it," Lance slowed down.

He looked at the faint image of May on the wristwatch.

"Did you lose them?" May asked.

Lance shook his head. He was thinking. "If there's a giant Kabutops around here…and it doesn't belong to Team Rocket…then…"

He was rewarded with two screams. One was high pitched and girlish, the other low and manly. Lance glanced towards where the man was sitting in the woman's arms. Again. The champion guessed he was the girly screamer.

Then his gaze focussed on giant monster behind them. He swore.

Cassidy dropped Butch on the ground. "We're out of here. Come on Butch!"

"IT'S B…oh, yeah. That's my name."

The man wasted no more time dilly dallying and raced after him companion. Lance trailed them for only a few paces before he saw their destination. A giant Zeppelin parked in what had once been the sea.

He moved his Pokétch to his mouth, whispering. "I'm following the Rockets. Dragonite will head back to base when I don't call. Tell Dratini and Dragonair to meet me south Kanto."

May's voice could be heard, confused, "Lance…Lance, where are they going? I need data, infor"

He cancelled the call. "Sorry May," he whispered, before slipping towards the airship.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:37PM] – 17<strong>**th**** May – SECTION Viridian Base – North West of Viridian City – May**

"No! Lance! Don't hang up on me! Lance!" May cursed as she dropped her wrist strap from her face. "Son of a bitch," she cursed. She leaned back in her chair.

Ninetales blinked at her reassuringly, "NyayaTiahTye!" There was a hint of teasing in her tone. (He loves you really!)

May shook her head. "I don't know what that means. Sorry. I don't know what you're saying." She sighed, slamming her hand down in the table. "What the hell is that idiot up to?" she wondered out loud. She leaned back and closed her eyes, sighing.

Her eyes snapped open. "That's it. I'm getting an electric Pokémon." She pushed her chair back and stood up, ignoring the scraping it made across the floor. She flounced towards the door and the fire fox trotted at her heels, disgruntled.

"YahNi TyiahNya," The fox grumbled, but May didn't understand. She walked along the floor in a brisk, determined manner, quickly and purposefully. (I'm better than stupid electric-types!)

She rounded the corner to the main section and slowed down. "What's up?" she asked her younger brother who was there, his glasses too large for him, his lab coat to long and the piles of papers he was holding too many.

Max shifted his weight uneasily, "Bruno and Karen are…well… annoyed." May sighed. "They wanted to see Lance,"

May rolled her eyes. "He's not here. He's in Alto Mare, heading back to the mainland."

Max shrugged, "Tell them that," he gestured to the door. The loud voices came from the other side. Several of the papers in his hands cascaded to the ground, only to be picked up by a green Pokémon in a skirt.

"RalRalts," the Pokémon chirped and Max thanked him, distracted. (Here you go Max!)

May sighed and walked forwards, knocking hesitantly on the door. Ninetales pranced across the corridor behind her. The loud voices stopped.

"Enter,"

May pushed the door open slowly. Her blue eyes took in the scene. A silver haired woman and large muscular man were standing on one side of the room, talking with a masked man and man who looked like a ninja. She swallowed. "Umm…I have news from Lance."

She instantly had their full attention. Bruno beckoned her into the room and she closed the door behind her, letting Ninetales slip in before latching it. Four Pokémon already stood in the room, an Umbreon, A Xatu, A Hitmonlee and a Muk.

"Where is our esteemed champion?" Karen sneered, her ice blue eyes annoyed.

May swallowed, "He went to Alto Mare to track down information that could help us with this mystery man. He encountered some Rockets there and is trailing them back to the mainland."

"Can you track his position?" The psychic elite was curious.

May nodded. "When the power comes back on I can run it through the system. I was going to request an electric Pokémon for my computer. No power no info. I'm sorry," She shrugged.

Koga gave a curt nod. "Thanks for your help. May, is it?"

She nodded, "You aren't usually here are you?" Her eyes scanned the four of them.

Will remained the silent, since he was the only permanent resident but the other three gave murmured 'no's.

May shifted her feet, "Forgive me for being curious, but what were you shouting about?"

Karen sighed, turning to face the desk. Bruno blinked at her, "You have a right to know, since you hold a high position in this base. We were arguing about this Shadow," Her Umbreon's hackles rose subtly.

May's blood chilled.

"Me and Karen think him a threat, but Koga and Will here think he is an ally. We wanted to seek Lance's council but he isn't here."

May shrugged, "Surely it doesn't matter. If he helps us, great, if he poses a threat we deal with it,"

Bruno nodded and his Hitmonlee cracked his knuckles, "That's what I think. But I also thought we should start issuing the troops for war,"

"War? Is this not war already?" May snapped, then realised her words, "I'm sorry."

Karen glanced towards her and smiled, "No matter girl. We were planning to end this once and for all." Will's Xatu let out a low mournful cry.

Will shook his head, "We cannot. You know what happened last time we tried to end. People died and both sides went home with their tails between their legs. It will happen again. I may not be a strong psychic but I feel it in my bones that another war would only lead to disaster."

Koga nodded, "If you are seriously considering this we have to meet, all the elites. And in case you don't remember, one of our number was lost thanks to our first attempts to end it,"

May let out a whimper and they turned to her in confusion. "Sorry," she muttered, not meeting their eyes, "It's just…I knew him too."

Koga turned back to the others, "We can't be so foolish to make the same mistake twice!"

"We were ruled by the League!" Bruno protested, "SECTION have things under control,"

"We don't have the forces to attack!"

"Every day we wait, every day we are further outnumbered!"

_Beep beep. Beep beep._

May glanced at her Pokétch. "You're in luck." She gave a wry grin. "You can talk to the champion himself," She pressed a button and thrust her arm forwards. Lance's voice rang out.

"May? You there?"

She smiled, "I'm here. Some friends of yours are too, say hi!"

"Lance," Bruno spoke first.

Karen nodded and Koga rolled his eyes, "Me, Bruno, Karen and Will are here to,"

"Koga? Haven't seen you for ages! And Karen wants something. What does she want? She never turns up unless she wants something…"

The silver haired woman rolled her eyes, "We were just discussing something. Where are you?"

Lance's voice was suspicious but no fears were voiced. "Hiding aboard a Team Rocket zeppelin. I think they're heading for Fusia but I don't know. May, have you sent out Dratini and Dragonair yet?"

The brunette shook her head, "No, not yet." She nodded to her fox. "I've just sent Ninetales." The golden fox slipped out the door and May pushed it closed behind her, the lock clicking.

Lance seemed reassured, "Good. Be prepared for Dragonite to come back with a giant Aerodactyl in tow. Sorry in advance for any trouble that might cause." His voice was joking.

Only Bruno and Koga's Muk smiled at the joke. "What's your plan?"

"Plan? Haven't thought of one yet. I'm going in, real Ash style,"

Everybody in the room flinched.

Lance guessed what happened, "Lighten up everybody. It's been three years. He'd be mad if he saw the way you lot were all moping around, avoiding the issue."

Koga swallowed, "Actually, we were talking about _the issue_ as you put it. Karen and Bruno want to try and end this."

There was silence. Then…

"Fools,"

Karen hissed, "Told you he'd be no help,"

"You really think it would work? Think Karen! Even if we did manage to overcome Team Rocket which I highly doubt, how are we going to fix this damn world?"

The silver haired woman shook her head, "There's nothing wrong with the world," she whispered, quietly.

Lance's voice was scathing, "Just keep telling yourself that. I know you lot don't believe in tales but I think this Time Gear issue is true. Guess who I got a call from?"

"I have a feeling you are going to tell us," Will put it mildly.

"Yep. Gary Oak. I felt so honoured." The sarcasm was clear in his voice, "Gary was asking me about them. I think it's time I told you guys a little something…" Now Lance sounded a bit guilty, "We have three of them in our possession."

"What?" Bruno gasped. "You didn't tell us?"

"Woah! Don't kill the messenger. They were never in my department. Ash dealt with them. There is one in the Pewter Base. One in Vermillion and Lorelei hid the last. We don't know what the hell to do with the things. They just look like somebody bothered to carve a special gear with pretty patterns in pretty stone. We wouldn't have even known what they were if he hadn't told us,"

Karen frowned, "How did he know what they were? We're trusting a dead man here,"

Lance's voice was cold, "A dead man who I trusted with my life."

There was an awkward silence.

Koga ran a hand through his navy spiky hair, "We should gather them. They must be important." He turned to May, "Dig out all the old rumours on Time Gears."

May shook her head.

"What's the problem?"

"We already have. Me and Dawn that is. We've dug out every single rumour and even rumours of rumours. We've been there, done that. I know half of them of by heart. It was my old project. We couldn't find anything out other than what we can guess." She shrugged, "That something the Teams did stopped Time. And to restore it you need to place the Time Gears in Temporal Tower. We don't even know what that it,"

Karen sighed, "We should still gather the gears together. I for one would be very interested in seeing them."

Lance's voice cut in, impatient. "You didn't let me finish. Gary told me he knows where to take them,"

"Where?"

Lance sighed, "I don't know. The message was cryptic. I don't even think Gary knew. He told me that when the moon was full they needed to be taken to a place where the sun died,"

May clenched her hand in frustration. She had taken her Pokétch off and laid it on the table. Ninetales had gone to contact Lance's dragons. She leaned back in the chair she had claimed. Words were ringing around her head.

_From ash to ashes, the world doust we rise_

_Sun settest and riseth o'er what we leave behind_

She froze.

"Lance," she called, interrupting the psychic type trainer's musings. "What exactly was on the gravestones in Alto Mare?"

There was a pause. When Lance's voice came again it was stiff, clearly hiding something, "It was just like you said. One was for that Latios, the other for the dead guy."

"The dead aura guardian,"

"Yes,"

"And the phrase was…"

"Exactly what you told me,"

"Really?"

There was silence. Then a sigh could be heard. "I don't know May, I just don't know. It could mean anything…"

"But that phrase?" May was pressing the issue upon the champion. The four elites were very confused.

Lance's voice was quiet when he spoke next, "I wouldn't get your hopes up May,"

The fire in her sapphire eyes seemed to grin and her shoulders sagged, "I know," she murmured dejectedly. "Still…" she shrugged.

Karen tapped her foot impatiently, "Can anybody tell me what is going on?"

May shook her head. Lance's voice came through the speaker, "Nothing, we got distracted. Sorry, Will you were saying…"

May leaned back in her chair, her eyes blank as she struggled to piece things together. It was like one giant puzzle, and she was fitting together the pieces.

One vital piece was still missing, and she was struggling to find out what.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: OMG! I AM SO SORRY! I haven't updated in AGES! It does not mean I have forgotten 'bout this story. This story _will _get finished.**

**And I feel guilty because this is only a filler chappie. And its the one with the stupid verse in that I made up in about ten seconds. But I tried to make it humourous adding in Butch and Cassidy. Really its a crime that nobody remembers his name ;). I also introduced the other SECTION elites. And Lance got a bit more characterisation.**

**Hope you enjoy! ~ Eclipse**


	5. Saffron

**Okay so cos I'm nice I've done a double update as an apology for taking so long to update. And also because I love this chapter to bits. So enjoy :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 – Saffron<strong>

_"I'm not fit to help anyone. Not my family. Not my friends. Nobody."_ —Cloud in Advent Children, Final Fantasy VII

* * *

><p><strong>[15:02PM] – 21<strong>**st**** May – Saffron City – An Alleyway – Erica/Ash**

"So, we've been here three days and achieved what?" Erika grumbled to Ash. They were crouched in an alleyway in Saffron watching some Team members march past. Ash's eyes narrowed and even Erica was planning how to kill them.

Across her back was strapped a bow she had made from a branch in the forest. Arrows were flecked with leaves. Ash had questioned this but she had smiled and commented, "Some leaves are sharper than others," At the tips lay a deadly poison. Erica had somewhat failed to mention this fact to Ash yet.

Ashe leaned forwards, his breathing slow and calm. Behind them Lucario leant against the alley wall, his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Above them Raichu was crouched in the shadows. A small brown fox was crouched beside Erika, brown eyes wide as it chirped.

"VuiEve?" (Where are we going?)

Erika raised her eyebrows at the dark man. "What's she saying?" she asked, blinking.

Ash shot her an annoyed glance, "I'm not a translator," he snapped, his spiky hair falling in front of his ever changing eyes. Currently they were a dark blue.

Erika tied a pink piece of cloth she had found into her hair. Then untied it. "What's with your eyes?" she asked, watching as the colour in them seemed to flicker. She produced a green piece of cloth from somewhere and seemingly satisfied tied it into her black hair. Her green eyes stayed focussed on Ash.

He shrugged, "Va wants to know where we're going, I don't know, I can't see my eyes, and I preferred the pink,"

Erika glared at him.

The man ignored her turning to Lucario, "Where's Zo now?" he asked.

The Lucario lazily opened one red eye. "Rio, ro LucarioLucCarr?" He yawned, his arms crossed across his cream torso. The crimson red eyes slid shut again. (Why are you asking me?)

Ash curled his lip up for a few seconds at the Lucario before turning away in annoyance. He muttered something under his breath but Erica missed it. The raven haired man shook his head.

"Where_ are_ we going?" Erica asked.

Ash didn't reply, staring moodily at the marching rockets. The grass type trainer noted his hand, clenching and unclenching, blue/black balls of aura forming in the palm only to be crushed by the black gloves. Then annoyed, Ash pulled one glove off, staring at it, musing. She shivered and touched her bow and quiver strapped across her back. Her green homespun cloak slipped from where she had wrapped it around her legs and she wrapped it close to her. Her brown shirt and plain jeans were drab and old but would do until she could find better clothes.

A voice called from the other end of the alley way and she let out a scream at the sight of a female rocket, dark eyed and uniform dressed. Ash clamped his hand over her mouth, stifling the piercing noise.

"Shut up," he hissed. He seemed relaxed in comparison and when his gloved hand came away from her mouth Erica whipped out her bow.

Ash pushed it away angrily, "Idiot," he muttered as the figure came closer. Erica glanced at the rocket wide eyed.

"Who is she?"

The rocket grunt smiled, revealing her teeth. Her eyes seemed to swirl purple and red. She glanced at Ash, "Rockets are swarming the whole city. They walk past the gym as if it isn't there. I don't think they see it."

The dark man nodded, "Good. That'll be it then. We'll have to check out the witch, as much as I hate to…" he turned to stare in confusion at Erica, "What's the matter?"

Two things were plaguing the Nature Loving Princess's mind. One was the strange girl they were talking to. Never had she seen her before but Ash must have known her.

The rocket smirked again. "Can I change? I hate being a damn Rocket!" Ash nodded, not even looking at her and in a flash of blue light the woman vanished, to be replaced by a red and black fox.

This only solved one of Erica's problems. So the Zorua was a shape shifter. It was used to sneak around and gain information. She had met the feisty little fox but didn't know about its ability.

This still only solved one problem.

The other she was still staring at; Ash's un-gloved hand where her arrow had cut into his flesh as he pushed it away. The tip was coated in a deadly poison. And Ash seemed totally oblivious to the fact he was meant to be writhing in agony right now, foam and spittle drooling from his mouth.

"Ash?" she decided to put the query to him. "Why aren't you dead yet?"

He turned in surprise, misunderstanding the question. "I thought we went through this yesterday…"

She shook her head, "I kinda' forgot to mention it but I have this poison. I used it on my arrows. On my arrow tips."

"And?"

Erika blinked at him. "You cut your hand. Just now, when you brushed the arrow out of the way,"

For the briefest of moments Erica thought she saw panic flash in Ash's eyes and then he shook his head dismissively. "I didn't cut my hand." He held up his single un-gloved hand, smiling disarmingly. Erica's brown-green eyes fell on the palm, once scarred with a light gash, blood seeping through. Now the skin was just like it had been before; unmarked.

She blinked. "But your hand was injured,"

Ash shook his head, "No it wasn't," he smirked. His voice told her that he hadn't been cut by the arrow but his eyes told a different story. They were a pale blue now, wary and cautious, as if avoiding some issue. He turned away sharply, directing a question towards the legendary Illusion Fox. "Which way is the gym?"

"Follow me," the fox still spoke, its voice telepathic even though it sounded like the spoken word. Her lips didn't move but the sound hung in their air, free for all to hear. The black fox pranced a little way down the alley way then lifted its tail and turned. "Well?" she demanded. "Are you coming or not?"

Erica was still gazing at Ash, her face a mask, concealing her confusion. Ash slipped his glove back on, helping her up with one hand. "Ready?" he asked.

She nodded and the two vengeful humans followed the Illusion Fox down the alleyway, into the shadows.

* * *

><p><strong>[15:32PM] – 21<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Saffron Gym – Sabrina**

The psychic narrowed her eyes through the window. Yet another load of Rockets were stalking past, conversing in hushed whispers. Her hand balled into fists, barely concealing her anger.

Along the walls of the gym spoons were stuck into holders. As the blue haired woman looked out of the window, her purple eyes flashing with anger several of the spoons quivered, bending at middle until they had folded back upon themselves.

"Mime," The Pokémon complained its clown like face sorrowful in its anger. Its large white hands glowed pink, as did the spoons as it restored them to their former glory. Sabrina sighed and turned away from the grey, obsolete world outside. (Not again!)

She rubbed the psychic bracelets on her wrists ruefully, "I wish SECTION would decide what to do with Saffron. Then I could get the hell out of this damn place. I so preferred Vermillion."

Beside her the air shimmered, a bronze humanoid psi Pokémon appearing, "AlakaZam," he announced, as he hovered in mid-air, legs crossed as if in meditation. A spoon was held in one hand while the other twirled his moustache thoughtfully. He blinked at his trainer. "KaZam?"

Sabrina pulled the curtain closed on the outside world. In times like these they did nothing but to further her depression. Her eyes scanned the room, resting on a doll house at the far end. She lingered on it before snapping her head forcefully away, as if trying to avoid a bad memory. Her dark eyes shone with bitterness and self-loathing and her hands clenched.

The humanoid clown sighed and corrected the spoons again.

The gym leader wore a pink tank top, white jeans and pink shoes. Her dark blue hair was loose and it came to rest just below her shoulders. She shook her hair, contemplating something. She turned to her Alakazam. "Can you sense dead people?"

The psychic type looked puzzled.

"Best comparison…when in Lavender did you ever sense the spirits of the Pokémon there? Ever? And ghost-types? Can you read their minds?"

Now the Pokémon seemed to grow moody, "AlaAlaZamKaZam," (They are just like dark-types. Nothing.)

Sabrina crossed her arms across her chest. "Just like dark types, huh," she mused. "Dark,"

There was a noise from outside. Shouting and pounding feet. The sound of rubble flying and rockets crying out. Gun fire. Gasps of shock. The whip of arrows. Cries of pain.

Then the door to her gym slammed open, dislodging air. Sabrina smirked, turning to her Pokémon, "The illusion still held?" she asked. He nodded.

The Mr Mime hopped from one foot to the other, "Mime Mister Mister Mime Mime?" (Do you want me to deal with them Mistress?)

Sabrina shook her navy hair again. Her eyes danced with curiosity and the pounding feet drew closer.

The door slammed open.

* * *

><p><strong>[15:33PM] – 21<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Overhead – Lance**

The champion was bored out of his mind.

If he was asked to say what was the worst part of travelling by zeppelin with two Rockets he wouldn't know where to begin.

First, the two were complete idiots. The man, Frutch, was a complete idiot. He acted like a girl, screaming at the stupidest thing. The two always seemed to be talking, endless chatter about the most idiotic things from motto's to hair colour to jabbering on about some Jesse James. It made Lance's head spin and he plugged his fingers in his ears.

Second, they travelled so damn slowly. They had stopped off in Fusia only to get drunk and kicked out of the pub. Lance had almost missed them leaving and he now wish he had. There was no wind, and the engines had died and the air balloon seemed to drift slowly through the air at a Slugma pace.

Lance had met up with his Dratini who was now, coiled around his neck. His Dragonair he assumed was outside, keeping an eye of things. He was itching to be off since the idiots had finally arrived over Saffron. The city that was impossible to get to.

Saffron was the head of the Team here in Kanto. Actually Viridian _and_ Saffron were but Saffron was impossible to gain access to. From the north Cerulean was a no go. From the east Celadon was under Rocket control. From the west, monsters of all heredities stalked Lavender and the rebels were still vying for control in the south. And here he was getting a free lift into the city.

He had amused himself for much other time either talking to May, or playing Ekans on his Pokétch. He failed at game as the stupid snake kept eating its own tail, losing him points. He was bored to death and was already waiting for the first opportunity to sneak off.

"TiniDrat?" the tiny dragon snake squeaked in his ear. (Are we leaving?)

Lance smiled, trying to guess what the snake was asking, "Yeah, hopefully we're getting off now."

He must have guessed right for the dragon gave a happy chirp.

Lance clipped up his cloak. Right. Time to unleash havoc on the unknowing Saffron City.

* * *

><p><strong>[15:34PM] – 21<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Saffron Gym – Ash/Erica/Sabrina**

The three people stood warily in the room. Two were on one side, the door at their back, one of them frowning at the multiple spoons around the room. The third person stood alone on the other side if not for the two Pokémon either side of her.

As if to mirror that the air around the two people shimmered and a small black fox materialised. Next to her an Umbreon growled softly. The Raichu was forever sitting on his master's shoulder and the black Lucario took up a stance beside the woman.

Sabrina smiled. "Look what the cat…" she glanced at the Zorua, amending her words, "Look what the fox dragged in." Her lips curled up in a sneer.

The black haired woman with the green head band blinked. "Sabrina?" she let the name hang in the air. The grass type trainer made to move forwards but Ash held her back, his dark eyes wary.

The psychic trainer examined him with curiosity. "You're meant to be dead," she told him critically.

"You're meant to be in Vermillion," Ash noted.

Sabrina narrowed her eyes, "You're a bit out of touch aren't you? I've been stationed here _five months,_" her voice dropped to a hiss and her fists clenched. Several of the spoons bent over. Erika gasped. Mr Mime sighed.

Ash gave her a cocky smile, "A bit stressed aren't we?" he asked. He sent an aura thought to the Mr Mime who froze in surprise as a dark light engulfed the spoons, straightening them again for the faithful mimic Pokémon.

The psychic type trainer stiffened. "Where have you _been_ Ash?" she hissed. "Hiding like a coward?"

Ash rolled back on his feet, examining the gym leader. "I think we both know where I've been witch. You can't read my mind, can you? And I'm not shielding…"

Erica switched her gaze between the two, "Explain," she commented tartly to the bickering pair.

Sabrina didn't even glance at her as she answered, "I'm a psychic. I read minds. Usually Ash uses his aura to block me. He's not doing that. I can't read his mind. That means he isn't meant to be here,"

Ash rolled his eyes, "Tell us something we don't know," he retorted.

Erica nodded in agreement, "Do you have anything helpful to say, and otherwise I'll say shut up,"

Sabrina turned her gaze to the ebony haired gym leader, "Your attitude's changed a bit darling," she smirked.

"I see you haven't," Erica crossed her arms, "I don't recall you being this sarcastic before," she noted, her own voice dripping with sarcastic.

Now it was Ash's turn to get annoyed, "All right, shut up woman!"

Sabrina glared at him. "What do you want _dead _aura guardian?"

Ash fixed her with a piercing gaze, his eyes flashing from dark black to a pale, dead sort of grey-brown. He didn't reply for a moment. Then he tilted his head to one side, "Why _are_ you stationed here? In the middle of Saffron with two Pokémon quite capable of teleporting troops in?" His tone was only mildly curious but his eyes were expressionless. "Oh and _why _is there an illusion around your gym? Not that I can see it…dark typing and all that…?" His questions hung in the air.

Sabrina sighed. "You really are out of touch, aren't you," she noted.

"Answer the questions,"

She curled up his lip and strolled to the window, turning her back on the two at the door. "I was stationed here originally with the intention of leading troops via teleporting. But the city has a dark barrier and you can't teleport in or out. The illusion is to stop the Teams investigating the gym. They think it's ruined, they leave it alone. They also believe it is haunted by a fighting type. Alakazam throws focus blasts at any dark type that usually comes along and so the Rockets keep their dark Pokémon away." Sabrina sighed. "He missed your Zorua though. Since she was a person he didn't attack. Sneaky,"

On the floor the fox let out a small snicker. Her red tipped tail flickered and her eyes gleamed. "RuaZor," she snarled. (Stupid Psychic-types!)

Ash glared at her, "Shut up or I'll get Va as an Espeon to kiss your ass. _Again._" He emphasised his point. The dark type turned up her nose, but stopped her tirade of how rubbish psychic types were.

Sabrina glanced at the Umbreon, "I'm still stationed here for information. I've been here five months. I hear rumours from the passing idiots of the experiments the Team conducts. One was of an Eevee who could change between all its forms. They tried it with several dozen. The results were the same. They all died. Now they settle for Flareon and Umbreon morphs. Espeon and Vaporeon. Jolteon and Glaceon… every possible variant."

Ash's eyes narrowed. He didn't say anything as his red eyed Umbreon seemed to shiver, her black fur turning ice blue and a crest of ice crystals forming on her head. Va blinked her Glaceon eyes then with another ripple of space, her fur became a jagged yellow, electricity crackling through her needle like spikes. The Jolteon blinked once and let out a snarl before seeming to shrink. Now a brown fox stood on the floor with a cream collar.

Sabrina blinked, "Eevee's don't have black tipped tails or ears," she commented. Indeed the Eevee had black tips to her ears and tail, as well as a long black stripe down her spine. At the comment Eevee turned up her nose, let out a quiet "Vui," and frisking her tail in anger. (Bastards!)

"Eevee's don't switch like that between forms either," the dark man pointed out. His Eevee was still switching from Leafeon to Vaporeon. "Stop showing off," he told he and she settled back as an Umbreon with a disgruntled sigh.

Sabrina sighed, "You haven't answered my question. What do you want?" She glanced at Erica, "And where did you pick up the Celedon Gym leader?"

"He didn't _pick me up!_" Erica hissed. "I'm travelling with him,"

Sabrina raised one eyebrow.

Ash snapped at them, "You can read minds can't you?" he retorted, "Witch,"

Several of the spoons slowly began to bend over, glowing purple.

"Where else to find a Celedon Gym leader than in Celadon?" Ash asked, observing with one eye lazily as the spoon bending glowed black, slowly bending upwards again. Sabrina's face creased into a frown, struggling to force them down. "Her gym was killed after an attempted rebellion from Rocket control. I save Erica and we got the hell out of there." Sabrina was fighting a losing battle against Ash's aura. The spoons were slowly and gradually bending upright. She let out a muted snarl.

Va narrowed her crimson eyes, "BreoUmbre?" (Now who's showing off?)

Ash glared at her, straightening the spoons up much to a Mr Mime's gratitude and turned to Sabrina, his tone talking business. "We need to get into their base. Main base. The vaults specifically."

Sabrina gave up trying to move the spoons. Her head shot around, "What?" she hissed in surprise, spinning around.

Ash cast a glance at Erica then back at Sabrina, "We're not going to tell you why. It' better if you don't know." His gaze had darkened, hiding something. The air suddenly seemed cold and the grass-type trainer shivered, drawing her shawl around her.

The Nature Loving Princess's eyes burnt with dark fire. "We need your help. Please." She begged.

Sabrina's gaze switched from Ash to Erica and then back. Then to the Raichu on Ash's shoulder. "Why did Pika evolve?" she asked.

Ash stiffened. "He… well… simply he couldn't survive. So he got a little electrical overdose from Zekrom and that triggered the evolution." He was a bit vague despite both the woman's curious glances. His dark gaze fixed on Sabrina, "So do you know how to get in?"

Erica blinked at the psychic type gym leader. Ash sighed, "To be honest we weren't actually expecting to find you here. We were planning to use the gym as a base that I could teleport to and from since I can't get out of the city. But we find you here. And I think you know how to get in,"

Sabrina nodded uncomfortably. "I do. But its madness. There are way too many guards. You won't survive." Then she realised something in the man's words, "Wait…teleported?" Her question of how somebody was able to teleport went unanswered.

Ash ignored the last comment, "No need to worry," he told her then paused at what he had just said, shaking his head. "I mean… how can you kill a dead man twice?"

The sentence hung in the air and both Erica and Sabrina wore similar expression.

Erica glanced at the psychic. "He's mad isn't he?"

Sabrina agreed. "Totally,"

**[16:21PM] – 21****nd**** May – Saffron City – The PKMN Centre Ruins – Lance**

Lance had been stalking along the streets, keeping to the shadows, his Dragonair gliding along beside him, invisible. He had been tracking those two idiots back to their base, ignoring their endless mind saddening chatter. He had been following closely, noting everything and shocked at how the once prosperous city had changed.

He had been doing this quite successfully when Britch...Butch and Cassidy had gotton distracted by something shiny.

Literally.

"Ooo coin!"

"Hey, I saw it first!"

"No! I did!"

"It's mine."

"Actwally, technoically 'tis mine idjits!"

Lance paused and looked towards the strange accent. A talking Meowth who was currently joining the blonde and green head in stupid chatter. The Meowth had picked up the gold coin and prove it to be his by fitting it neatly to the top of his head. The cat also, strangely, was walking on two legs unlike the normal kind of his species.

At least, Lance hoped that the species normally walked on four legs and that this was an unusual variant.

"Hey, Meowth! You learnt Payday!"

"Shuddup Jimmy!"

Lance sighed in frustration. Now two more idiots had turned up. They were slightly unusual in that they were still wearing the very old white uniform with red R's. The man had purple lavender hair and sounded gay. His partner had long red purple hair and was currently nose to nose with the blonde Cassidy, the one brandishing a purple cobra by the tail having just hit Butch with it. To say that Jessie's Arbok looked peeved would have been an understatement. It certainly did not like being used as hammer to hammer the idiotic Crutch...uh...Butch into submission.

Cassidy was glaring at the red head, "What do you three want?" she snarled.

Jessie turned her nose up in the air, "As if we'd want anything with you." Her Arbok was still dangling by his tail from her hand.

The purple haired man quit arguing with the Meowth and stood in a similar posture to his partner. "We're Team Rocket's special elite operatives," he boasted. And on it went

Lance _had_ been simply standing in the shadows, listening to the arguing idiots.

Then Cassidy chose to kick James's Wheezing and the scratch cat straight towards where Lance was hiding.

That was how he got to now. Racing down a street followed by several idiotic Rockets.

He would have stopped to battle them. But he was in the middle of Saffron City which was simply plagued with Rockets. His face still stung with the scratches Meowth had given him and he wanted to cough up the smog from the startled Wheezing that had flown into his head. Dratini was still wrapped around his neck, through of the occasional dragon rage at the pursuers. Dragonair was firing dragon pulses, flamethrowers and a few other attacks as she glided along beside him.

"Damn it!" Lance muttered under his breath. A few other obscenities joined this as he skidded around a corner. He had to get out of the line of the mad Rockets. "Hyper Beam," he shouted to the dragon snake that began to charge up a golden beam. The four people and several Pokémon were scrabbling over each other in a mad rush to capture him. Amazingly they were still agreeing.

"You're an idiot Jessie! I'm going to be the one to capture the champion!" Cassidy boasted, between heavy pants.

Beside her Butch was skipping along like a girl. "Course we are Cas darling," he smiled, his Raticate running…umm…skipping at his heels.

James snarled, his purple hair flying. "You idiots couldn't catch a Magikarp if it hit you in the face!"

Lance slipped down an alley, racing straight down and out the other side. The arguing idiots continued along the main street. He sighed in relief.

"DrrrraaaaTini?" (Ummmm Lance?)" His dragon chirped from around his neck.

"What?" he asked.

Then he looked up.

"Oh shit,"

* * *

><p><strong>[16:34PM] – 21<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Saffron Gym – Ash/Erica/Sabrina**

"So we turn left after the first corridor. Sabrina maintains a position there too…what was that?"

Ash and Sabrina looked up at Erica's comment. Sabrina blinked at the excited cries coming from outside.

"_This way! Double promotion for whoever captures him! Triple for whoever brings me his head!"_

Ash stiffened and cast a glance towards his seemingly lazy Lucario who once again had his eyes closed. The dark man's eyes flared pale blue and when the eerie light faded there was a faint trace of despair.

Sabrina who had been using her psychic powers to find the source of the commotion now looked up. Her eyes were wide. "They've got a SECTION member cornered somewhere. He's fighting it out."

Ash sighed, "Lance did always know how to get himself in a good fix."

"Lance?" Erica and Sabrina's mouth dropped open.

From where he had been pacing the orange mouse looked over, his long whip like tail flicking. _"Does this mean we're going hunting?"_ he asked. His black eyes gleamed.

Ash smiled._ "Yes."_ His gaze met that of his oldest friends. "You up for it?" he asked verbally.

"_Always,"_

Was the faithful reply.

* * *

><p><strong>[16:36PM] – 21<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Somewhere – Lance**

Lance spun his sword, killing another rocket with the swirl. They were so cramped he barely had any room to swing the damn thing. He hated hand combat weapons. A blinding light from his dragons allowed him to back up a little bit, keeping the mob at bay from the alley he was trapped in.

He had been such an idiot.

He couldn't believe he had walked straight into the bunch of marching rockets.

Dratini fires of a purple and red dragon rage. Taking the moment of peace Lance switched to a more favourable weapon. The gun fit his hand as if it had been made for him. He gained several more metres.

"Dragaiiiirrr," was the weak cry as several air cutters and cross poisons from the multitude of evolutionary bats in the air sent her knocking against the wall. Distracted the champion turned, his cloak blowing behind him as he stepped towards his dragon.

Her head lifted weakly, eyes blinking. Lance cursed. Then her great blue eyes slid past him to where the rockets were. He spun around, eyes blazing, gun levelled.

His Dratini was knocked back from a Houndoom's flamethrower. The dragon squealed, eyes pinched closed as she struggled to produce a safeguard. Then the champion's attention slipped back to the multitude of rockets, all garbed in identical black outfits, a single red R on their shirts. Every single one had their guns trained on him.

Lance sighed. "Shit. Oh well. Least I went down fighting."

And the rockets fired.

To Lance's credit he did not even flinch. He was too pumped with adrenaline and battle ready to even acknowledge his impending doom. That was why he saw clearly the man materialising in front of him, dark cloak with a hood that covered his head. The gloves were also black with strange blue patterns on the back. Lance's eyes were drawn to the gloves as a blue shield erupted from the outstretched right hand.

A Raichu appeared to his right, a single tail slicing the flamethrower in half as if it was a leaf. Several volts of black, sparkling volt tackling mouse knocked the Houndoom to his doom. A battle cry was ripped from the throat of the mouse.

"ChuRaiRai," (Bring it on idiots!) the mouse snarled, black static dancing like fire along his dark orange fur. Black eyes gleamed and he lept forwards towards the fray.

The dark man in front of him dropped his hand, the shield dying. He cast a glance back at the champion but his face wasn't visible, cast in shadows. The tone however was mildly amused, "Can't stay out of trouble can you?" Lance blinked at the dark, cold voice. It sounded… it couldn't be familiar could it… "I'd advise you to stay back," the man recommended darkly as he turned, vanishing into nothing.

Lance caught only a glance of the Rocket's shocked, amazed, mouth open expressions mirrored on each of their faces. Then havoc and chaos was introduced among them.

The black cloaked figure appeared among them, a black blade formed of shining, black energy swirling into existence. The man didn't pause, twisting and cutting across the ranks. Then he vanished, appearing a metre off behind their turned backs.

The black shadow showed no mercy.

Lance was too shocked to do anything. Instead he trusted the stranger with his life as he turned to his injured Dragonair. She crooned weakly at him. Dratini floated over, her gaze distracted by the flitting movements of the Raichu as he used his long tail like a blade, cutting and swiping Golbats and Rockets alike. The pair of darkness was merciless in their killing.

Lance stared. At the faultless movements of the mystery man. Slash, Duck, Vanish, Stab, Vanish, Spin, Dodge, Parry. It was like moves to a strange dance that was hauntingly familiar to Lance. Not just because he saw something of himself in this man. But…

He shook his head. He was getting delusional.

He turned to his Dragonite. "Recover. Please," he begged. "I won't let you die,"

The Pokémon crooned faintly. There was a flicker and the hooded man appeared crouching by Lance's side. The red haired man jumped.

"She's badly hurt," was his only comment. On hand reached forwards, faint black light spilling softly from his palm. Lance frowned but the man shook his head, "I'm healing her," And before Lance could push his hand away he saw it was true. The torn scales and bleeding cuts were self-mending themselves.

Then another thought occurred to him. "Who's dealing with the Rockets?"

"What Rockets?" The man answered with another question. Fear pulling at his belly, Lance turned, only to see no standing person. The score or so of Team members that had been behind them all lay…

He pulled away from the gruesome act and fixed his gaze instead on the Raichu stalking towards them. The large mouse blinked up at the man. "RaiChuChi? KaaRaiAi AiChu AiChuRai." (That dealt with them. What now?) The dark tone made the champion shiver.

Then the cloaked man abruptly pulled away from the now healed Dragonair. "Stay out of trouble in the future," he spoke sharply before walking away. The Raichu cast them a dark glance, the emotions impossible to decipher in his eyes as he turned following at his master's heels.

"AiChi?" The mouse asked, the words having no real translation. The cloaked man cast one glance back at Lance. His face was still hidden.

Then he turned. "We go to Sabrina's." And then he teleported away.

Lance stood for a moment, musing the words. His two Pokémon crooned softly beside him.

Then the red haired man cast one look at the bodies littering the streets and made up his mind.

He set off in pursuit of Sabrina's gym.

* * *

><p><strong>[17:16PM] – 21<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Saffron Gym – Ash/Erica/Sabrina**

"Lance is following you know," Sabrina told the dark man critically.

Ash nodded once. "I know. I wouldn't expect anything less,"

Sabrina narrowed her eyes. "I thought you wanted to remain undetected."

"I do," Ash said bluntly. "I'm leaving when he gets here. Although he'll probably recognise me on the way out."

Erika frowned at him, her green eyes blinking in puzzlement at the man. "Why don't you leave now?"

Ash shook his ebony hair and turned away, his dark eyes a muddle of confusion and indecision. His fist glowed black with aura and unconsciously the spoons in the room began to slowly bend downwards. Erika failed to notice and Sabrina's eyebrows merely rose.

"_We have a mission," _Raichu reminded him softly. _"But then he is our friend,"_

Ash sighed. _"We can't let this all to waste. But as you say, he was our friend and he can help with this mission. But then again…"_

Va rolled her eyes. She sat there, a Vaporeon, flexing her muscles. _"Just tell him. And threaten to kill him if he talks. They were bound to find out sooner or later."_

"_Yeah, you just as well told that Dawn girl. I mean, you told her you were a friend and hinted at something more."_ The Zorua narrowed her eyes._ "What was the something more? Because there is no way you would ever have changed your mind about Mi-"_

Ash cut of the thought._ "Dawn was like my sister. An annoying sister but still a sister. And I don't want to think of her. Just like I didn't want him here. It just makes the job harder."_

Raichu stepped forwards.

"_You need your friends,"_ he reminded gently.

With the last thought still echoing in his head Ash heard the door slam and a victorious cry. "Ha. Knew the bloody door was somewhere around here."

A faint cooing could be heard from his dragons as the floated around the champion. The red haired man appeared in the main room. He smiled at Sabrina, "Good illusion," he told her, smirking. Then his gaze fell on Erika who had been pouring over a map drawn by the psychic, plotting. "Erika?" he asked surprised.

Then his gaze flickered to where the final person was stalking out of the room via the back door. The hood was down and Lance's eyes widened as the door slammed shut. Erika and Sabrina exchanged a glance. It was as if they were sharing the same thoughts. Raichu looked at the door and chirped helplessly.

Lance looked at the door. Then at the woman. "Was that Ash?" Lance asked stupidly. His voice was quiet.

Sabrina and Erica nodded. Again, in sync.

"But Ash is dead,"

Sabrina rolled her eyes and Erica sighed, "Tell us something we don't know,"

Lance pushed past them and raced for the door the ebony haired man had vanished through. The Vaporeon narrowed her eyes at him as he raced past.

"PourEon Vap PourEonEeVui," she spat. (All the time we spend staying hidden and in five days it's wrecked)

Next to her the Zorua rolled her eyes. The small bushy tail flickered across the floor, "This is going to be fun," she sighed. Lucario stayed lazing where he was, leaning against the wall, his blood red eyes closed. Raichu poked him with an electrocuted tail, clearly annoyed at something.

The jackal was too far away to hear.

* * *

><p><strong>AN. Love that chapter. What with Erika and Sabrina arguing and Ash being totally awesome! Just to let you know, Ash didn't get his teleporting skill from aura. He got it in the past but hopefully that will be covered in the story. Yeah, also because he's meant to be dead he's got dark typing. Haha...I was laughing as I wrote the scene with Jessie, James, Meowth, Butch and Cassidy. They're fun to write. And Lucario is doing something...not just being lazy. It will be explained...**

**Next chapter involves Misty and Leaf. And Psyduck. But that's when I next update again.**

**Whenever that is going to be.**

**Thanks to those who have reviewed my story. And to those who have read but not reviewed. Thank you sooo much for the supportive comments.**

**~ Eclipse**


	6. Ghost Peak

**Chapter 6 – Ghost Peak**

_"Monsters are real, and ghosts are real, too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win."_ - Stephen King

* * *

><p><strong>[16:43PM] – 21<strong>**nd**** May – Outside Mount Moon – North of Cerulean – Misty/Leaf**

Misty narrowed her eyes at the brunette. She wasn't happy.

"I still can't believe you found me my Psyduck," she complained bitterly.

Leaf smiled at her, "I thought you'd be happy,"

Misty rolled her eyes, "I was! I thought I'd finally managed to lose that stupid duck! And then you find him for me!" Her voice rose slightly in volume and she threw her hands in the air in frustration. Behind her a yellow duck cocked his head on one side, blinking stupidly.

"Psy?"

"Grr!" Misty exclaimed. She clenched her hands into fists and stormed up the hillside.

Leaf cast Azurmaril a confused look. "Wonder what the matter with her is? I mean…did she really want that raging sea monster back?"

The two girls were on route…well they had probably known the name once but now the sign was lost, the name a useless piece of knowledge they had erased from their memories. The two women were standing on the route leading up to Mount Moon from Cerulean. Somehow Misty ended up with a giant backpack while Leaf had only a dinky little shoulder back on her shoulder. Her Ditto was nowhere in sight but the bag occasionally blinked.

The route was open, rolling plains that rose smoothly towards the dark, reddish coloured mountain. A few trees lines the route, giving it an airy feel and it seemed so spacious, not cluttered with all the trainers that once used to linger on it. Misty and Leaf made slow progress up from the basin where the Cerulean ruins lay. They weren't hurrying or taking their time, somewhat the pace traveller trainers of the past had used to get somewhere but still see their surroundings.

Behind Leaf her Clefable blinked its long eye lashes. The pink fairy was secretly _very_ excited about this trip. Not just because her mistress would get to see the-one-that-makes-her-happy but she would finally meet the ones of her species that worshipped the bright-fierce-sun-that-appeared-at-night. Then the ears of the Pokémon dropped, since the moon hadn't been seen for year. She chirped sadly and paced after her brown-haired-blue-eyes-falling-leaf mistress. She pushed along the yellow-stupid-psychic-idiotic-slow-duck who seemed to have stopped to hold its head. Misty was still raging up ahead. The Pokémon didn't really understand it.

Humans were hard to understand.

"Remind me again why we are doing this a day early?" Misty asked in frustration at the all too cheery Leaf.

She gave a grin. "I want to be there in plenty of time. Oh, and the Clefairy are grouchy at this time of year."

That explained it.

The two of them trekked up the mountain in silence, maintaining their pointless chatter. Leaf's eyes kept drifting up to the obsolete sky, as if hoping for a speck of sunshine to tip its way through the clouds.

Nothing.

"ZurRill…" (This is…) the mouse summed up the gloomy mood that seemed to have befuddled the humans. Next to her Clefable nodded solemnly.

"FableCleff," (Depressing) The fairy sighed. Her ears twitched. Her dark eyes focussed on a dark hole in the mountain ahead of them.

Misty narrowed her eyes. She hated Mount Moon. It was one of the few places in Kanto which wasn't swarming in either SECTION of Team forces. She wasn't quite sure why, but knew that since Lavender had been turned into one giant experiment, the ghost types took residence here. And the dark types. The mountain was a labyrinth of darkness and shadows.

The rumours were that nobody came out alive.

Rumours, of course. The red head tried to reassure her quivering nerves. She shook her loose hair over her shoulders and cast one exasperated look at her Psyduck who was waddling some metres behind them. She rolled her eyes, concealing the slight affection she felt for the idiotic duck. She would never admit it, ever.

The two woman paused before entering, both of them looking apprehensively at the dark, forbidden entrance. Then their eyes met and they mirrored each other in a shrug.

_Let's go for it._

And they entered Mount Moon, the riddling mountain, the labyrinth, the death hole, the ghost peak and the moon alp.

The first thing that struck the turquoise eyed gym-leader was the chill. It was cold and damp, as if no light had ever reached its fingers into the earth to illuminate the shadows that stained the walls black. Without being asked Clefable used Flash and the woman blinked in the light, bright in the Pokémon's hand.

"Thank Cleffy," Leaf smiled and the Pokémon replied in the positive.

Their travelling for the most part was uneventful. Leaf kept having to remind Misty to wait up for her waddling duck who was just out of eye reach, a metre or two behind them in the shadows. The Tomboyish Mermaid got frustrated at this and eventually picked the duck up, stuffing him under her arm.

"Duck," the yellow Pokémon protested weakly but Misty merely scowled and ignored his complaints.

Leaf observed this critically, "That's a bit harsh," she chided but Misty simply huffed, ignoring this too.

Leaf somehow managed to cut her arm on a jagged piece of the wall. It tore the skin and left a bloody gash. Refusing to stop and let Misty bandage it she wrapped a torn piece of her sock around it. Then she discovered that Clefable knew Recover.

"I wish you'd tell me when you learn knew moves," she complained.

The fairy blinked its apology. And moved both its hands to heal Leaf's arm. As she did so the flash in her paw died and the group was suddenly plunged into darkness.

"Oh great," Misty's voice was sarcastic.

Leaf could feel her arm beginning to heal under the invisible light of recover. She wasn't in the mood for the red-haired woman's complaints. "Thank you Princess Sarcasm. I didn't know you were afraid of the dark?"

"I'm not afraid of the dark,"

"Yeah, right,"

"Do I look afraid to you?"

"I can't see,"

There was the sound of Misty smacking her palm against her forehead. Then there was silence as the two let Clefable do her work.

Then… "Do you hear that?"

Leaf twitched, irritated, "What?" she asked.

"That?"

"What is…" her voice trailed off as she too heard the noise.

It was like a rustling tree branch, the leaves whispering together. At the same time it was like water trickling over pebbles. The noise was soft, like a whisper, or like steam from boiling water.

"What is that?" Leaf frowned.

Misty began shaking. Couldn't Leaf hear them? Couldn't she hear the screams?

"Make them stop," she whispered, clutching her ears with her hands, "Make them stop," her face creased, her eyes tightly closed.

Leaf stood almost knocking her head of the black rocky wall. "Cleffy, use Flash again. Quickly! Misty! What is it?"

The red head was wincing in pain, trying to block out some invisible noise. She twitched and shook as if in pain.

Oh no, please. Not that.

The screams echoed on, reverberating around her skull. The smell of blood rose up, making her retch and suddenly she was somewhere else.

* * *

><p>"<em>No, no, no you can't let them do this!" She was screaming now, throwing herself forwards but Lance caught her in strong arms.<em>

_His eyes were sorrowful, "We can't lose this whole thing just to save him."_

_Misty was screaming, a savage animal, "He's more important than any of this,"_

_On the ground three metres in front of them the man on his knees shook his head, awkwardly because of the knife pressed against his throat. "I'm not Misty. You know I'm not."_

_Tears run from her eyes as she takes in his defeated form, the small yellow shape lying still in the mud, red scars criss-crossing his body. The man with the shaggy hair looks even worse, his black shirt hanging in ragged tatters off his body. The bleeding wounds are clearly visible underneath._

"_Live your life Mist. Live it for me. Do everything you ever wanted and be happy. Promise me that you'll be happy,"_

_And her heart tears open. He sounds so defeated. So lost. So ready to lose. _

_She wants to scream. She wants to race over and embrace him She wants to curse and cry and…_

_He is going to die._

_And there is nothing she can do._

* * *

><p>"NO!" Misty's eyes flash open and she sits up. Too fast. Too quickly. She felt a wave of dizziness fall over her and paused to get her bearings. Leaf was crouching next to her, eyes wide. Her Clefable was once again illuminating the cave with a weak flash.<p>

"Are you all right? You just seemed to have a fit, shaking and you collapsed. I didn't know what to do."

Misty tried to sort her muddled thoughts. "I…had a vision. A memory." She pressed her lips shut stubbornly. "I don't know what happened. I'm sorry." She tried to sit up. "We should get moving,"

She stood. From where she was crouched the flash illuminated Leaf's worried expression. "Are you…"

"Let's go," Misty snapped, cutting her off. She crossed her arms, hoping to soften the pain, the tear through her heart. She shivered and looked left and right down their passage. "Umm, which way?"

Leaf's head shot up in surprise. "I thought you knew," she remarked.

Misty shook her head, "I thought you had the map,"

The younger girl blinked her blue eyes at Misty. Her lip pouted innocently. "Map, what map?"

They stared at each other in silence.

The moon fairy rolled her eyes. "Fable, CleffAiAirClFFable," (Idiots. I know this mountain like the back of my hand) she boasted and scurried of to the left.

Misty glared at Leaf before following the pink fairy. "At least someone knows where they're going," Azurmaril trotted at her heels.

Leaf smirked, but there was still a faint trace of worry within her sapphire eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>[17:39PM] – 21<strong>**nd**** May – Mount Moon – Upper East Section - Somewhere – Psyduck**

He wandered around lost. The pain in his head was aching. Through the blur of pain he tried to dimly register the world around him.

Where was the fiery-water-mistress? The duck tilted his head to one side. Where was she? Had she left him? Was he that terrible?

He wanted to cry. But his pain struck mind refused to co-operate.

He wandered onwards through the gloom.

And realised that he was not alone.

* * *

><p><strong>[17:59PM] – 21<strong>**nd**** May – Mount Moon – Upper East Section - Somewhere – Misty/Leaf**

"We've been wandering for _ages,"_ the brunette complained, "Cleffy, are we there yet?"

"CleeEfff," (You asked that five minutes ago) the Pokémon replied, good-naturedly. Unfortunately for her there was a lack of understanding between species and Leaf didn't comprehend.

The woman paused. Misty slid to a halt beside her, blinking tiredly.

Then Leaf stiffened. "Do you hear that?" she asked. The whispering. The muffled noises.

Misty stiffened as well, her muscles tense, "Do you mean the screaming?" she asked quietly. Leaf shot her a look of surprise.

"No, that whispering. Like water. Or leaves. But… Misty?" Leaf's voice rose in alarm as the red-head stumbled sideways.

* * *

><p><em>NoNoNoNo Not him please Arceus not him.<em>

_Lance took a step forwards, "You kill him this is war. And we won't hold anything back."_

_The enemy smirked and nodded once to the grunt holding the man, "Then we won't either." His hand waved carelessly in the air, "Throw him over the cliff when you're done." And then he turned, orange suit bright against the bleak surroundings._

"_I hope you bastards rot in hell. And then I hope hell spits you back out again so that I can send you back there myself," the man's eyes were dark and Giovanni paused, turning slowly on the spot._

_He smiled, evilly, "Finally found your tongue aura guardian? Finally ready to plea for your life?" The man knelt down beside the wounded double agent, his eyes gleaming, "You can still join us…" he left the offer open._

_The raven haired man eyed him distastefully, "You better watch your back Giovanni. Because I swear on all those whose lives you have touched, I will hunt you down and kill you, inch, by inch until you scream for me to end it. You can send me to the far reaches of darkness but your days are numbered. You'll spend the rest of your time on this earth, watching your back, because one say you'll turn around…" this threatening phrase was barely whispered but the man in the orange suit stiffened before standing curtly and walking away without a word. _

_His hand waved once._

_The knife slipped along the flesh, cutting cleanly along the skin._

_Misty screamed and tried to race forwards but Lance was there, holding her back, tears streaming down his own face as he pulled her back._

_No. Not him. Please not him she'd do anything. Anything. He promised. He said it would be okay. HE COULDN'T DIE!_

_The rodent let out a squeak at the loud shots that rang out, fired into its small pitiful body. _

_No. Never. They were meant to be together. Forever._

_Lance gave up trying to hold back Misty, drawing his sword and moving forwards, only to be held back by his own men. Misty tried to move forwards but strong arms held her back. Even Lance was struggling against his own men, face a mask of anger._

_Misty closed her eyes, hoping it will all be a bad dream and that she will wake up. When her eyes open the grunts are standing by the cliff edge, brushing off their hands. She screams._

"_ASH!"_

_Lance shook off his men, pulling his large blaster out. _

_His eyes blazed as he snarled at the remaining grunts, too slow to flee. _

"_Game on,"_

* * *

><p>And Misty Waterflower woke up crying.<p>

"Is she okay? Missingno would have a bad influence on her after her loss." An elderly voice, rough like sandpaper but kind and caring.

Leaf glanced at the gym leader's rapidly dilating pupils. She was sweaty and tears were running from the corners of her eyes. Leaf wiped her friend's forehead with a damp cloth Azurmaril had wetted with a bubble. Slowly, coming to her senses the Tomboyish Mermaid began to look around.

"Who are you?" she asked her voice sharp and swift as she stared at the new arrival.

The old lady wore a purple frock, a cream apron on. She leant heavily on her wooden stick, her short hair grey and white. Her eyes were sharp and craggy, but full of warmth. Her face was sharp and defined but her lips were curled into a smile. "I'm Agatha," she introduced herself, "I'm one of the Elites," she gave a wry grin.

Now Misty recognised her. Sure enough a Gengar was hovering at her shoulder, his demon like grin mischievous. Misty gave a weak smile.

Leaf tilted her hat respectfully to Agatha. "I'm Leaf Green, disguise expert at SECTION, Cerulean. This here is Misty Waterflower, the Cerulean gym leader,"

Agatha leaned back on her stick, "I know," she cackled. "My Gengar and Haunter have been watching," she smiled. "Sableye was but he got too lazy the little devil," her eyes grew fond as she talked of her Pokémon, as if they were children.

Leaf shifted her weight nervously, "Umm, excuse me for asking marm but why are you here? And not in Pewter or Viridian?" She blinked her blue eyes hopefully for an answer.

Agatha scowled, "I'm too old to fight. Least I can do is stay up here and help wayward travellers. Save them from Missingno."

"Missingno?" Misty and Leaf chorused.

Agatha's gaze grew grave. "Ai. Missingno. A freakish monster created by nature. Completely natural. Missingno." She seemed to enjoy the riddles.

Misty asked politely, "What is Missingno? And was that what was affecting me?"

Agatha frowned, "Forgive me. I got distracted." Her tone grew grave. "Missingno is a Pokémon. I believe it to be a ghost type since Gengar and his family have an affinity for knowing where it is. It also has a weakness to psychic types. It haunts Mount Moon and has since the world was plunged into darkness. Its presence harms few but those who are affected suffer extreme emotion."

Her eyes grew sad, "Missingno affects those who have lost a loved one close to them, witnessing their death. It causes them to relieve the moments, watching it over. It feeds off your pain,"

Misty flinched as Leaf turned to her, eyes all too knowing brimming with sorrow. "Are you all right?" Leaf asked, concerned. The red head nodded, hoping the pain was evident in her turquoise eyes.

The Cerulean gym leader swallowed a lump in her throat. "I'll be fine," she whispered.

Leaf blinks at her sadly. "You're been out a while. We should really get going," She smiled gratefully at Agatha.

The old lady gave her a wry smile. "I'll come with ye a little way. Keep that damn Pokémon out of your heads for you. And keep an old lady company, teehee," she gave a little chuckle but her sharp eyes were kind. Behind her Gengar hovered, the malicious smile surprisingly kind as he muttered something to the Ghastly. The ghost agreed.

Misty sat up, looking at Azurmarril. Her gaze drifted down to where a fat yellow duck should have been sitting.

"Where's Psyduck?"

Leaf blinked before whirling around, as if it had only just occurred to her. "Ummm…she trailed off guiltily.

Misty practically leapt to her feet as she looked wide eyed down both passages. "Where is he?" she asked again, a note of panic rising in her voice. Agatha looked confused. "Where is he?" Misty repeated.

Agatha blinked. "You missing someone?"

"My Psyduck! He's not here. And I know that sometimes he's useless and sometimes he's an idiot but I don't care! Where is he?"

Leaf hopped around, waving her arms in a vain attempt to calm the red head down. "Woah, he'll turn up. He's probably wandered off somewhere,"

The old lady smiled reassuringly, "I'll get Haunter to have a look for him. This mountain be our home and we're more than willing to help a lost little duck,"

Misty's mood abruptly changed, "I'll give him 'lost little duck' when that yellow pathetic excuse for a Pokémon turns up." She pouted, but her bottom lip trembled, despite her bravado. "When do we have to meet Gary?"

Leaf shifted uncomfortably. Then she spread her hands in a shrug spinning happily on the spot. "Who knows? Anytime today!"

The Cerulean Gym leader frowned, "Tomorrow," she corrected. "He said the twenty second,"

"Yeah well the thing is tomorrow is today already,"

"How long was I out?"

"A while,"

Misty clenched her hand, "Then we should get going now." She stretched her aching, cramping muscles and enviously wondered how Leaf managed to stay so…jolly…

Said person was currently skipping down a rocky passage, giggling at faces the purple Gengar was pulling. Misty observed this for a few seconds, trying to get her head around this before giving up and marching after the disguise master. Agatha was already following, Clefairy and Azumaril by her sides.

"Ready?" The elite asked.

Misty forced a grin.

She didn't answer though, but turned the lock on buried memories in her mind.

She would not be effected by them.

He was dead.

Dead and gone.

Just a memory.

In the darkness she hoped Leaf and Agatha missed the lone tear rolling down her cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>[5:49AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Mount Moon – Lower West Section - Somewhere – Misty/Leaf**

"Time is sooo messed up," Leaf complained. "It feels like night but it's actually day and yet there isn't any sun or moon to tell us any different. And trapped in these caves how are you meant to know what time it is? But then it's no different from outside… and…"

Misty interrupted her friend's speech, "Leaf, you're rambling,"

"I'm _tired_," the younger girl complained. "We've been walking for _ages_ and all I can see is white spots across my eyes. Not to mention I had to stay up the night looking after you,"

Misty crossed her arms, "You could have slept." She argued, but her heart wasn't in the mood.

Leaf pretended to think this through, "Well…thing is…I did… but someone like me needs more than six hours beauty sleep,"

Agatha paced along with them, listening humorously to their chatter but remaining silent. Sometime throughout the night/early morning Misty had noticed Haunter returning to the elites side.

Psyduck hadn't been found.

And Misty was worried.

She refused to show it, gritting her teeth and moving on, walking down the incessant tunnels of darkness.

And for just a second… she allowed herself the hope that when the emerged…there would be the sun again to welcome them into the day.

Instead there was a gloomy exit in the distance. Leaf gave a shout, jumping around for a full minute before skipping towards the light, pausing only to straighten her hat and tidy her hair.

"Your boyfriend will be happy to see you, no matter what you look like," Agatha smirked.

Misty wasn't listening.

She could no longer see them. Screams were echoing in her ears. And her turquoise eyes widened.

Her ears were ringing and her eyes widened at the blood-stained walls. White… harsh white lighting and _him_ eyes unrecognising as he slowly… _warily_ paced around her, avoiding her.

* * *

><p>"<em>Who are you?"<em>

"_Ash? What are you playing at? It's me! Misty!"_

"_I…I'm sorry. I don't remember…anything…"_

_Crashing, falling, burning. He didn't remember her. He couldn't not remember. He couldn't. She fought back rising panic. The room was too white and the needles and syringes too many. Papers with horrible drawings depicted, blood staining the metal surfaces, staining his clothes. Black clothes…sodden with red._

_His eyes…a bright brilliant blue. Misty fought back a scream. Not his eyes. His eyes were brown. Then, almost as the thought crossed her mind the colour flickered, changing to a milder hazel._

_What did they do to you? She asked herself, but she kept her voice level._

"_Well let's start from the beginning. I'm Misty. You destroyed my bike and I followed you around until you repaid me,"_

* * *

><p>"Misty!"<p>

"Leave the girl alone!"

"Leaf, behind you!"

Voices called to her but she struggled away from them. Back to him. Back to the memory.

* * *

><p>"<em>I sound like I was a pretty stupid kind of guy,"<em>

"_Incredibly. But that might be partly my fault. I used to hit you a lot with my mallet,"_

"_So you gave me brain damage," he joked, eyes, now green lighting up. But she could see the edge to them that wasn't there before._

"_You remember Pikachu?"_

_He nodded his spiky raven head. "Yeah. He was my first Pokémon. We didn't get along. These idiots kept trying to take him away." He smiled slightly but the edge to his eyes was still there, shadows and darkness and pain and anger. SECTION had tried to get there as soon as possible but it had already been too long, finding that mad scientist dead, Archer, Adriana, Petrol and Proton scattered around the building in fear._

_Mew._

_There were data files on Mew._

_But what that had to do with the amnesiac elite was beyond anybody's guess._

* * *

><p>"Shit! Umbreon use a dark pulse on that thing!"<p>

"That's not going to work."

"Well what do you suggest?

"Misty! Hey Red! Hang in there!"

* * *

><p>"<em>So what did you think your name was?"<em>

_A shrug. "Don't know. A colour actually. I saw blood and I thought Red. That's what people used to call me. I know that. I was Red. There was a girl…Green and a guy with spiky hair…Blue."_

_She crossed her arms. "Really. People call me that too. Because of my hair."_

"_It's more orange. Pretty. Like flames."_

"_Uhh…" she felt herself heating up, "Thanks,"_

_The small tattered eared Eevee trotted into the room, Pikachu and his ragged tail following curiously. The mouse remembered more than his master but only just. And the fox just stuck as close to them, another experiment._

_Specimen. The word felt so… hollow… disgusting. It stuck in her throat._

_He was hers. Not some project to test out some sick theory._

_He was only human._

* * *

><p>"Misty!"<p>

Her eyes fluttered open. A guy with spiky hair was standing over her, occasionally shooting glances over his shoulder.

"Blue?" she muttered half dazed.

A frown crossed Gary's face. "Where'd you hear _that_?" he asked in surprise but then ducked as something whistled over his head.

Misty shook herself out of his trance, stupor, memory…whatever it was. Her eyes focused to the scene behind the brown haired man. A purple gas cloud hovered near the centre of a clearing, by a glowing white moonstone. It was trapped in some pinkish light, writhing to escape while everybody else watched in silence.

"Gol," Misty glanced in surprise towards the sound. Her blue eyes widened at the blue, sleek duck, webbed hands outspread as his eyes glowed blue, obviously using psychic.

The word caught in her throat, and she coughed it out. _"Psyduck?"_

* * *

><p><strong>[5:49AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Mount Moon – Lower West Section - Clearing – Psyduck**

The poor duck thought he had been abandoned. He sat addle brained by the big-stone-shine-pretty and held his head in his hands, wishing as always that the relentless headache-pain-block-confusing would cease and let him think clearly. Let him act and respond normally instead of walking around half dazed.

He didn't want to be a burden.

"Sableye! Leye Sabl!" (She'll come and find you. Humans are like that!) The shadow that had been stalking him commented happily, jewel eyes gleaming.

The only thing the yellow duck could manage was a faint 'Quack'.

He blinked, watching through his headache as the spiky-blue-researcher appeared, dark furred yellow ringed Umbreon at his heels. He didn't see them at first, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back.

"Looks like we've got the whole damn day to wait. Gonna' be fun,"

"breon," the fox sighed, red eyes blinking.

In contrary to Gary's words, there was an excited squeal from a dark tunnel the other side of the clearing.

"We're there! Come on Cleffy! Let's go dance round the moonstone 'till that no good boyfriend of mine gets here!"

The leaf-green-ditto girl was surprisingly happy. Misty would be following her and Psyduck waddled hopefully towards the entrance. Beside him Sableye stiffened, claws twitching. Seconds later Psyduck sensed the dark presence in the air.

Leaf appeared in the cave entrance, smiling at Gary and Umbreon, turning around to look back at where Misty would presumably be. Psyduck saw almost in slow motion as her face fell and she bounded back out of sight in sudden panic.

Then things were a blur and the only thought was 'I'm going to be in the way'. Then Leaf was trying to wake up his mistress and Gary was shouting. The ghost-elite-elder was ordering her ghosts to attack the purple gas cloud that had appeared, hovering around the clearing, malignant and evil.

"Misty!" Leaf called, shaking the red head gently. Psyduck stared, not comprehending. What was wrong with her? Around his red head mistress he sensed the darkness…the purple cloud tainting her body. He was helpless to do anything.

"Leave the girl alone!" Agatha shouted as it aimed a shadow ball towards Leaf and Misty.

"Leaf, behind you!" Gary bundled them aside, shouting instructions to Umbreon. "Shit! Umbreon use a dark pulse on that thing!"

Agatha shook her head. "That's not going to work."

"Well what do you suggest?" Gary practically snarled, holding Misty while Leaf ran towards Clefable and Azumaril, shouting again but the duck couldn't hear. The darkness he sensed around the water trainer was growing stronger.

Leave her alone! He screamed but all his brain processed was a "Psy?"

"Misty! Hey Red! Hang in there!" Misty moaned in her sleep as Gary shouted, slipping further away with each passing second.

No.

Psyduck was not going to stand there and watch.

He was not going to be a burden.

He was going to save her.

He was strong enough. He would prove it.

And strength rushed through him, he felt more agile and he could think.

_He could think._

No splitting headache pounded his head and he felt surprisingly calm and restful. He fixed his blue eyes on the purple-MissingNo-dark-taint.

Stop.

Hurting.

My.

Mistress.

"Misty!" Gary cried gratefully as the red head blinked, waking up.

"Blue?"

"Where'd you hear _that_?"

Psyduck let out a growl as MissingNo tried vainly to escape his psychic hold. His voice was clear and crisp, a low "Gol,"

"_Psyduck?"_

Yeah. Like he'd ever want to be that again.

Golduck was thankful Pokémon could not de-evolve.

* * *

><p><strong>[6:04AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Mount Moon – Lower West Section - Clearing – Misty/Leaf/Gary**

She felt so proud.

Her stupid yellow duck had evolved.

To save her.

"Oh Psyduck," she almost sobbed. "Thank you," Her eyes gleamed. And almost as if her words contained some strength the psychic hold tightened and a piercing scream filled the air.

Then there were shadows and gloom and light and then the four humans and seven Pokémon were in the clearing, with nothing else there.

They blinked.

And stared.

And blinked some more…trying to work out how everything had ended so quickly.

They blinked.

And the author, remembering that they had just done that hurriedly moved the plot line along.

Misty was the first up, launching herself across the clearing to hug her new Pokémon. He seemed surprised by the action, his head titling, just like when he was a Psyduck before he quacked happily. Her aqua rabbit bounced over, chirpy and happy.

The disguise girl squealed. "Gary!" she bounced across the clearing, literally throwing herself into her boyfriend's arms. Clefable seemed all intent on racing after Leaf but as the two shared a passionate kiss the fairy decided better and turned instead to the pretty white stone, her eyes widening slightly.

Agatha smirked in the background, as her three ghost faded out of sight. She herself shared a nod with Gary before turning back to the tunnels.

This was her mountain. She was the protector of Mount Moon and would be until time started again.

Company affairs no longer interested her.

Leaf looked around, surprised by the old lady vanishing so quickly. "I never thanked her," she said wistfully.

"You'll see her around," Gary smirked.

The now three humans and four Pokémon and suspicious looking bag with dot-like eyes (Leaf's Ditto) poured out tales and settled down, sitting on the fresh grass as Leaf wide eyed explained about MissingNo and Agatha. Misty for the most part stared at the ground shamefully. To her surprise Gary kept shooting her pained looks, as if he knew something he couldn't tell her.

Then he spoke, telling them the news that he couldn't put into a letter.

"This guy broke into my lab looking for me. Shadow. He…I know who he is…"

"Who?" Leaf leaned forward eagerly.

A pained look crossed the scientist's face. "You… wouldn't know him," he stated, uneasily. "He was looking for Time Gears. He told me they need to be taken to a place… to where the sun died."

"Why was he asking you?"

"I… I know where the Time Gear of Viridian Forest is… hidden. I wasn't going to do anything but then, Dawn phoned. SECTION apprehended him and took him down to Pewter. He told Dawn the numbers to a vault containing the Time Gear of Victory Path and scarpered. SECTION want to question this guy further."

Misty stared at the repeated reference to Time Gears.

Whatever those were.

"Ummm…" she began, "I think Dawn told us where another one is hidden. She said talk to Lorelei."

"But nobody knows where Lorelei is hiding?"

"I think that's the point,"

"Dawn wants to use it as bait,"

"Don't. This guy. You can trust him. With your life. Honest. When you get the Time Gear contact me and we'll work out where to take them,"

Leaf frowned, "But we're going against SECTION," she put in cautiously.

"But it might be the right thing to do."

"But…"

"We'll do it," Misty put in, firmly. "Leaf, you don't have to, but I just feel…" she trailed off….

She had to do this.

She didn't know why…

But she had to do something.

* * *

><p><em>AN - Finally! I update again! But considering I'm drowning in exams at least I have a good excuse. Ah well, hope you enjoyed that chapter, I'm quite fond of it even if it was a bit too squashed together in places.<br>__The flashbacks in italics are Misty's memories. They come from two different past events, one was from the battle of the league up at Indigo and the second was from about...a year before that. I'll have more explanation somewhere but Ash ends up stuck in a lab half dead at Cinnibar. SECTION arrive but he has this case of amnesia which lasts about a month._

_I felt so sorry for Psyduck. :( So sorry. But now he's happy and some more use to this story! So YAY for Golduck!  
><em>_  
><em>_Thank you so much to the people who have reviewed (there are only about five of you)! Thank you for taking the time to comment and let me know that somebody is reading this. I'd like it if more people did but I do understand if you don't, since I'm terrible at dropping reviews. But it's still nice. :)_

_Hope you enjoyed ~ Eclipse :)_


	7. The Western Horizon

**Chapter 7 - The Western Horizon**

_"No one ever said the future would be easy. But I think we all saw the glimmer of a dream, somewhere in the sky that night. The tiniest spark of hope that we could change our fate. Who could say? That moment has come and gone."_ Vanille – Final Fantasy XIII

* * *

><p><strong>[20:45PM] – 21st May – Kanto – Lucario<strong>

Somewhere on the edge of his consciousness his master was talking with the champion. Despite the hours of the evening Erika and Sabrina were running through the plans for the millionth time. Somewhere of to his right the Eeveelution morph and the electric mouse were talking quietly, while the illusion fox stalked around in circles.

But Lucario wasn't listening.

While some grounded part of his persona remained, trapped in his black furred body, his red eyes gleamed blue beneath his closed eyelids. Aura travelled along his veins like fire, burning and calling, _screaming_ to him.

The world was blue and black and grey, shades of living aura mapping the planet's surface, like a never ending stream of consciousness. Over and under Lucario flowed, his ghostly body lighter than air, pure aura that flowed and rippled like a small un-diverted stream. His mind was the life stream and the aura stream was his mind.

Sitting on the edge of the rivers of aura Lucario let one foot paw trail through the blue stream, watching as it parted around his black paw. He tilted his head lazily on the side, watching, eyes bright as he searched for the objects his master sought.

Behind him several bright lights gleamed like fireflies in the relative blackness behind him. He had already covered that territory and his master had located the Gears as he had found them.

The jackal gazed down at the water –like surface, watching as images floated idly beneath it; turning, spinning gears of different, bright lights, reflecting aura so bright that even non users of the energy could see it. So bright… it triggered strange visions to those nearby. The jackal stood from his perch and walked, his feet skimming the water's surface before he took the plunge, wading waster deep through aura streams that parted around him. Around him images crackled like fire, burning on the water's surface.

"_The planet's paralysis?"_

"_We have to stop Groyvle!"_

The corners of his muzzle twitched at the heroes past. Two small, un-evolved Pokémon who forged a new friendship to overcome the dangers of the world… unites to save it from a far worse fate. Lucario vaguely wondered if the heroes past would be disappointed that the world had come to this…

"_Umbreon? What is that…?"_

Images of the spiky haired researcher and his black fox discovering the emerald green gem hidden in the forests leafy groves floated to the surface. Curiously, one spiked paw pushed the memory… record… thought… to the side, looking for more connections. The jackal mentally winced as he uncovered a stash of images, each one flashing across his mind like lightning.

_Silver-Cold-Ice-Mountain-Reaching-Into-The-Sky – Wings_

_Emerald-Leaf-Viridian-Gary - Bug_

_Water-Bay-Three-Stone-Yellow-Gear-Diving-Drowning-Boat_

_Ice-Elite-Red-Hair-Cave-Water - Dark- Sea- Water_

_Burning-Volcano-Bird's-Fire-Scorching-Burning-Exploding _

_Electricity-Black-Fight-Steel-Wings-Energy-Power-Shadows _

_Colors-Pallet-Broken-Normal - Destroyed-Crumbled-Paint_

Lucario stumbled away, trying to order the various images in his head but they span alarmingly over each other_._ Just like before…just like they always had and again he struggled to maintain his grip on reality.

_Brown-Path-War-Trap-Earth_.

_Dark-Tunnel-Rock-Brown-Turning-Crushing-Crumbling-Red-Hair_

_God-Hand-Ice-Peak-Magnetic-Line-Northern-Skies_

_Black-Shadow-Vault-Blue-Hair-Pewter - Psychic _

_Ruined-Death-Death-Death-Indigo-Fall-Death- Dark_

NO! Lucario closed his eyes, struggling to escape, trying to find some once of sense again. But the images flashed. Behind him, he was dimly aware of the known points of Gears fading into the melee of memories, visions and future actions surrounding the gears. Lucario wanted to scream or throw an aura sphere at someone.

Why him?

_Gym-Burning-Erika-Gloom-Green-Life-Grass_

_Whirls-Caves-Wings-Afar-Deep-Skills_

_Marsh-Purple-Poison-Burning-Run-Flee-Poison-Ninja_

_Ice-Cold-Wings-Sea-Frozen-Caves_

_Ghost-Tower-Lilac-Crumbling-Falling-Ghostly-Spirits_

_Dragon-Clan-Cave-Elder-Fountain_

With a growl Lucario shook himself out of the visions. His red eyes snapped open and he staggered backwards a few paces in the aura stream. He stared venomously at the spot he had been, a glowing blue aura of a Time Gear nestled underneath the flowing rivulets of blue.

Sometimes the jackal thought his Dimensional Scream was no more than a nuisance. His father had once caught him staring out at the setting sun as it illuminated the Time Gear his family had guarded in Orre, deep in a desert oasis with whirling pools of fresh spring water. He had been just a Riolu then.

"Father," he had asked. _"Where do the Gears come from?"_

The older Lucario would shake his head and sigh, "From the rising sun in the east,"

"How far east can you go?"

"Till you reach the other side and can't turn back,"

His youthful eyes had widened, as he held this piece of knowledge with awe.

How naïve he had been then.

Now Lucario paddled in the life streams, his aura sensors on the back of his head tingling. His red eyes gleamed, slight images still flashing behind his eyes.

He knew where all the gears were in a roundabout way. He always had. The flashes relating to each of the gears location were brief, from past, present and future. As he and his master progressed slightly the raven needed better, more accurate locations.

And that was Lucario's job, treading the aura paths until his dimensional scream ability activated. He examined the patch of streams in front of him, gazing down into the pool of water like aura, looking at the reflection of the city by the sea. A calm bay and shocking gym.

Lucario smiled. That was another location sorted. He shook his head to clear the images, curiously looking up and down the aura trails, trying to decide whether to return to reality or continue to find another gear. Pausing from his task he wafted a paw through a rivulet of blue, letting the aura run through him and memories trickle through his mind.

"The aura is with you," His father had said, setting him of on a journey to answer the call. "Always,"

The small Riolu had looked wistfully behind him, not sure that he really wanted to do this – to travel east to the rising sun. But something was tugging at his heart-soul-aura and he knew it was time to leave.

His father had told him it was the call of destiny, but the small Riolu didn't really believe him. The small pup wasn't really sure what to believe.

And before he had left his father had passed him a wrapped up package. Even through the brown paper the pup could sense the ticking-living-heart of a Time Gear. The gear of fighting.

"But won't time stop?"

The older Lucario shook his head, "Time has already stopped. Can you not feel the heavy silence? Moving the Gears will do nothing - but re-uniting them where the sun died will lift the deafening silence."

"Will… I ever see you again?"

And then his father had looked sad and regretful and not answered, but stepped back to let his mother fuss over him one last time.

Lucario sighed, opening his eyes from where he was paused is the aura streams. He examined his black paw curiously. Even then his fur had been a deep, mars black. He had been told he was special. He had been told that it was because of his ability. He had been told it was because he was linked to all, the aura in the world.

And now as he stared around at the world, crystallised in streams and rivulet of living energy he realised he had never doubted it.

Sighing the black jackal stood, dislodging more memories that flittered across his mind.

* * *

><p><em>The long journey through the wastelands. The various friends he had met and the Pokémon he had encountered through the harsh deserts of Orre. Always heading east towards where the sun would rise.<em>

_But then he changed direction heading a point or two north. And faintly on the horizon he could see what he was looking for, a towering mountain reaching into the sky, snowy peaked, dividing a whole region in two. It looked like a giant hand, reaching up into the dark cloudy skies._

_Fighting. The Gear that was held in his bag echoed faintly with the resonance of his type. And even fainter he could feel the pull of the type-he-would-become._

_And later, on top of that vary same Snowy Mountain; he had never expected to find a man there, raven hair shaggy and still stained with blood, a small electric mouse curled up beside him in the ice and the snow and near death._

_No._

_Everything about the pair screamed 'wrong'. Just like his black fur something about them was off… something wasn't quite right. He had hovered around them for a few seconds, not knowing what to do. He checked their pulses – weak but steadily strengthening. The smell of death around them was fading, but never entirely leaving them._

_The pair – man and human shouldn't be alive._

_Whatever had happened to them was slowly reversing. Wounds were healing and blood was vanishing. Cautiously, following some strange instinct he held out his paws glowing blue to pulse a soft healing light over them._

_Later he would realise how the pull that had called him to travel was the same that now bound him to this human. The same raven who after waking had somehow, known instantly what was contained in his bag. The man befriended him and then, with their destinies intertwined, they had together climbed the remaining of the peak to retrieve the steel grey gear nestled in the ice and the snow of Spear Pillar._

_And over time Lucario had grown to trust the man, trust him with his life and by the time the two had journeyed south, to the town of the dragon and the gear nestled navy blue beneath the waterfall in the underground cavern it had seemed like they had always travelled together._

* * *

><p>And before the jackal could even blink, the visions of their journey had passed, barely a millisecond passing. He paused, a sense of nostalgia overwhelming him before he shook himself out of the memories, closing his eyes as he prepared to return to reality.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>[17:20PM] – 21st May – Saffron City – Outside Saffron Gym – Alley – AshLance**

The red haired champion pushed his way outside of the gym. Vaguely he felt annoyed since it had taken him all of three minutes to find the front door since he couldn't actually see the gym, just a load of ruined rubble but he hope Erika (what the hell was the Celedon Gym Leader doing here) and Sabrina (he hated that witch sometimes) would let him in.

He pushed the door open and sped up his pace, looking around for any sign of the vanishing raven. He had barely taken two steps before the breath was knocked out of him as he tripped over something, being sent stumbling forwards onto his hands and knees.

Despite how run down he was after running around Saffron for the day, his instincts were sharp as he turned around quickly, still lying on the ground but now facing his attacker.

Said attacker was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, hazel eyes trying very hard to remain emotionless staring over Lance's head. Lance froze, two hands behind him to support his weight, and he barely noticed the gravel that studded his palm.

Ash tried not to look at his old friend. He thought that either his eyes would give him away, pain and sorrow flashing within as they colour would change, or he'd probably burst into laughter at the way the elite had been sent flying forwards.

"Ash?" Lance choked out, trying not to sound to stupid. "What… what are you doing?"

The raven raised an eyebrow, "Currently, I am leaning against a wall, talking to you. If you mean what is my greater plan in life me and Erika plan to break into a Rocket Base and if you mean what am I doing standing here then the answer is I really don't know."

Lance struggled between gaping like a fish and smiling at the all too familiar tone. Instead he accepted the black gloved hand to pull him to feet and he brushed of his cape ruefully, "Sneaky trick," he commented, trying to avoid the real topic.

Ash shrugged, returning to his former position of leaning against the wall. Lance narrowed his eyes since said wall wasn't visible to him, giving the raven the impression of leaning against thin air.

Or thick air, he reasoned.

Lance's tone dropped, "How long?"

Ash's head tilted to one side, not knowing what he meant.

Resentment flooded up through the champion. "How long have you been running around letting us think you were dead? Don't you know what we've been through? Don't you know about what's been happening? Don't you know how cut up Misty was-"

"Shut up," Ash snarled, eyes flashing red and Lance narrowed his own eyes. "You don't understand. You wouldn't."

Lance repeated the question. "How long?"

Ash paused. "Three years minus a day or two or maybe a month. Who counts?"

Blue eyes widened, "Then… why… where…"

Ash, who had been meeting Lance's gaze squarely now turned away and the champion say the pain burning in the now brown gaze. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me,"

Still not meeting his gaze, Ash ran a hand through his black hair. "I'm dead. I died three years ago on that cliff, Indigo Plateau. You remember." Lance wasn't quite sure where the raven was going. "Then I find myself in Sinnoh, on top of Mount Coronet, Spear Pillar. Do you know the legends?"

Lance clenched his fists, more shocked than angry, "Arceus?"

"Something like that," Ash spat, venomously. "We've got a deal. A right down unfair one but it's a deal none the less. I fix time for him. I get to live a little longer,"

"A little longer?"

"The only reason I can live now is because time has stopped. We're not moving forwards and we're not moving back. I can exist in this plane for as long as it remains like this. However I've agreed to fix it and once time's back on track – I get left behind."

Lance struggled with the concept. "Then why even agree?"

"Because if it's was a choice of dying then or dying now, I'd choose now any day."

The champion ran a hand through his hair, eyes darkening. "So… if you've been around for three years trying to fix time why haven't… why haven't you made contact? We could have _helped_ you! We could have found the Time Gears and at least got the chance to spend more time with you! Instead you leave us thinking you're fucking dead and mourning every time someone mentions your fucking name!" His voice was rising. "You think we can just deal with it and we'll be fine. Instead we have to deal with our own sorrows and Misty who won't speak or talk to-"

"That's why!" Ash interrupted his rant. "I come back, everybody's happy, then a few years later I have to die! It's bloody unfair and who do you think I am to make Mis-t" her name stuck in his throat and eyes flashed with sorrow. "Who do you think I am to make her go through losing me twice?" He repeated, voice deathly quiet.

Lance took a step back, "Oh," He muttered.

They paused, an awkward silence between them.

Then… "So you just stayed hidden – finding time gears?"

"Pretty much?"

"Why show yourself to me then? Why not leave me for the Rockets?"

"Because you're my friend – Time…or rather death doesn't change that. I wouldn't leave you there alone to fight those idiots." Ash looked up now, eyes now a pale green-grey. "I wasn't going to tell anybody, but then you followed my here. Va said we could use your help…uh… she's my Eevee."

Lance nodded slowly, and then stepped forwards towards Ash. He was still taller, but by an inch less than before. Slowly, almost cautiously, he rested the back of his hand against the place the raven's heart would be. He relaxed. Beating heart.

Ash raised an eyebrow, "What, did you think I was dead or something?" he commented sarcastically. Lance rolled his eyes stepping back.

"So…" he began. "Teleportation huh?"

Ash flinched.

Lance frowned, "That another package that comes with death?"

"No," The aura guardian shook his head. "I had that before. Ever since that incident with Team Rocket." Lance looked confused.

"Which incident?"

For the first time the man showed unease. "The amnesic incident – when I lost my memory. I…they…" **(Can anyone see the irony? Lance forgot about the amnesic incident 'cos amnesic people lose their memories. Get it? …Oh never mind…)**

Now Lance looked almost thunderous. "What?" If it was possible he was hating the Teams even more.

Ash sighed, looking up to meet Lance's gaze. They held steady for a few second before he dropped them, "Nothing,"

"Ash," Lance's voice dropped. "What did they do to you?"

Red eyed flashed, "Nothing," Ash shook hair out of his eyes, still not meeting the angry champions gaze, "What's done is done,"

There was another awkward silence.

"Uh…" Lance wasn't quite sure how to phrase this, "Your Eevee… I thought it was a Vaporeon,"

An dark smirk alighted on Ash's face. "She's a Vaporeon…sometimes…" He blinked. "Are we up to date now?"

"Uh…think so…wait you evolved Pikachu? And where did you get a black Lucario? And the Zorua?"

Ash resisted the urge to hit his face, "Pikachu had a bad reaction with a Light Ball and Thunderstone and a Zekrom. The Lucario was a Riolu we met on Mount Coronet who travelled with us. He has this ability which shows him visions relating to Time Gears. Zorua… we met her on our way outta' Sinnoh."

The vague answers seemed to further annoy Lance but he didn't want to spend the whole night out here questioning Ash. "I… think that's okay. Umm…I'd open the door except I don't know where it is."

Ash reached out a turned the handle, opening a door into the gym. It looked odd, a doorway in the middle of nothing. Leading into another world…another place. Maybe it would lead towards a better future or maybe Lance was over thinking. There was one thing he was certain of… he would find a way for his friend to live… a way out of his deal… a way to overcome the problems of the world and come out again…one happy group once more.

Ash would live.

Lance would make sure of that.

* * *

><p><strong>[17:45PM] – 21st May – Kanto – Pewter Base – Basement – The Vaults - DawnBrock**

"Number 107711, Number 107712, 107713, 107714, 107715, 107716, 107717, 107718 – Finally! Brock – I've got the bloody vault!" Dawn waved energetically over to where the squint eyed man was looking at the other side. Dawn turned back to the wall of vaults. "Jeesh, how many vaults are there?" Behind her the dark skinned man shrugged.

As he fished a key from his pocket he said, "Probably around one hundred and seven thousand, seven hundred and eighteen." He guessed using the number on the vault he was unlocking.

"PipPipLup!" Dawn's small blue penguin chirped as it danced with a cotton rabbit along the long isle.

Dawn called after them, "Piplup! Buneary! Don't wander too far!"

Both Pokémon chirped their respective names but continued on their way.

"What was the pass code?" Brock asked as unlocking the first door led to another, this time with a combination lock.

Dawn squinted at the small piece of paper in her hands, "6-0-0-1-19-8," she read out. Her eyes flickered to the last three numbers but then Brock had opened the door. The blunette looked up, eager to see what was inside.

She was not disappointed.

Nestled on the top of piles of paper, was a gear, about ten centimetres across. Its colour was a soft, rosy hue that seemed to dance and flicker with life the pale pink fading from rose to a darker purple in places.

Dawn gasped, "It's beautiful!" She reached out and plucked it down from piles of paper. It glowed slightly at her touch and though she could feel energy bubbling within it, it remained silent and calm.

"Do you want me to contact Gary?" Brock asked. Dawn nodded. "Definitely," she chirped. "Tell him to come here."

Brock closed the vault looking nervously around. "I can't believe we're doing this - taking the Time Gear out on this random guy's orders." He scratched his hair nervously.

Dawn bit her lip. "I trust him Brock. I know him from somewhere… I know I do. I just can't remember where." She frowned as the two began to walk back towards the stairs. Behind her Piplup and Buneary ran along happily.

"We should talk to May," Brock advised.

Dawn smiled happily at him, "Good idea," she admitted, "Here, you hold this," She thrust the small Gear toward him. "See you in my office," she chirped, skipping off happily.

Brock stared after her, the cotton pants rabbit chasing her while Piplup just tilted his head confused. "Lup?"

Brock nodded, agreeing. "I wish I had that much energy to. Sometimes I think her blood is made of caffeine."

* * *

><p><strong>[17:55PM] – 21st May – Kanto – Pewter Base – Dawn's Office - DawnBrock**

As if was, despite Dawn racing ahead the computer was slow to turn on and it took at least five minutes before she was ready. Then another five for Brock and her to rescue Piplup from where he had gotten stuck in the rubbish bin.

"Really Pip? How do you get into these messes?" Dawn chided as she sat the penguin on her lap. Brock was calling up the video network on his screen.

May answered instantly. "Hello? Brock! Dawn! Long time no see!"

Dawn waved cheerily while the tanned man smiled. "What's up your end?"

The blue bandana wearing girl shrugged, "Nothing except that I don't know where Lance is – he hasn't called in." Brock and Dawn exchanged a look that the brunette missed. "Never mind that though – the git will call in when he's ready. So apart from Koga and Will arguing there isn't anything else happening." She tilted her head for the others to give their news.

"We retrieved the gear," That was Dawn, blunt with no tact, "It's so pretty," she cooed. "We're going to call Gary and talk to him about it. We wanted to ask you about the Shadow. Because he seemed really familiar and it feels like I know him except I really don't remember."

May bit her lip, looking down at something on her desk nervously. "I searched through everybody for that card number. No living person has that number. I don't know… that verse though…"

May seemed to be avoiding something. Dawn stared curiously at her friend as Piplup climber up onto her blue hair.

Brock seemed to be staring thoughtfully at the screen. "No living person?" He repeated.

May shook her head and then froze. "Wait…do you mean…"

"Search the full record May – Dead and Alive."

Dawn looked admiringly at Brock – "Good idea," On the screen the brunette had ducked her head, the sound of tapping keys being carried across the interim. Then a pause.

"It's searching," she said quietly. "I…That gravestone in Alto Mare…with the words on it… that verse…we've heard it before."

"Really?"

The brunette bit her lip. "It was at his funeral."

Dawn's happy, eager face froze and Brock, if it was possible, looked even more thoughtful. "The man had a Raichu," he pointed out, slowly, "And was an aura guardian,"

"No!" Dawn cried, "It's not _him_!" She shook her blue hair violently, "It's someone's sick joke!"

May's voice crackled over the speaker. Her voice was quiet, "Actually May… I hate to disagree but that card… it matches… and your description… I don't know how…but that guy was Ash."

Dawn blinked back tears.

"Ash?" she repeated.

May nodded. "I just worked out why you didn't recognise him too. He didn't have his stupid hat on. Mind you he hadn't worn that hat for a while anyway." Brock laid a comforting arm around Dawn but she shrugged it off.

Her voice rose hysterically as she waved her hand in circles above her head, "The _hat_? We didn't recognise him because he _didn't have a hat on_?" She sank back in her chair. Her voice was cracking. "Stupid hat."

Brock bit his lip, "It fits. Too well but it fits. It's him."

"He said I'd work it out. That we were friends. He knew us all… Sabrina…Brock… Me…May… we're idiots." Dawn struggled to blink back tears. "I can't believe we didn't recognise him."

May spoke up, "Don't blame yourself Dawn! None of us did! He's got this hero complex and is going around trying to save everybody again. It's linked the Time Gears. I… call Gary. Talk to him. I'm going to talk to Lance."

Before they could complain the screen dimmed and died and Brock and Dawn were left in a dim, deafening silence.

* * *

><p><em>AN - Hello again. Uh... well I figured Luca needed an explanation for why I kept forgetting about him... I gave him the Dimensional Scream ability from Mystery Dungeon. Combining this with aura and with inspiration from FFVII I just had that scene in my mind.<em>

_All the image flashes are related to various time gears. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to where they are?_

_Thanks for the reviews guys! It's really nice to know you're reading this! Apologies for any grammatical errors, I haven't checked this chapter through. Next chapter they finally get around to breaking into the base! Woo! Finally!_

_~ Eclipse ~_


	8. Breaking and Entering

**Chapter 8 – Breaking and Entering**

_"And the wolf that keep it may prosper,/But the wolf that shall break it may die./As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk,/The law runneth forward and back -/And the strength of the pack is the wolf/And the strength of the wolf is the pack." -_Rudyard Kipling, Now this is the law of the jungle

* * *

><p><strong>[18:12PM] – 21st May – Saffron City – Saffron Gym –AshLance/Sabrina/Erika**

"Finished with your _manly_ chat?" Erika giggled as Lance and Ash arrived back in.

Ash smirked slightly, vanishing and reappearing almost instantly behind the black haired girl. "What were you saying?" The Celadon Gym Leader jumped, before pouting. She flicked her hair in Ash's face as she pointed to the map they had laid on a table Alakazam had conjured up for them.

"The base is huge. For the four of us to take it…"

"Hey!" The small black fox complained. "I told you – you need to factor me, Va, Rai, and Luca into your plan! It depends if your Mime and Alakazam are coming as well…. and if Lance's two dragons are going with us."

The red head champion looked towards where his two blue Dratini and Dragonair were curled, resting lightly. At the mention of them, the elder dragon tilted her head. "TiniAir," she chimed, blinking her large blue eyes at her master.

"I…I think she said yes," Lance spoke for his dragon. Ash and the dragon nodded.

The raven translated, "She told you she'd be at your side always," He subtly nicked the pencil in Sabrina's hand and began crossing out and drawing in more lines.

The Psychic frowned. "How does that work?" she pointed to the crisscrossing lines.

Ash shrugged, "Who needs plans? We go in – split down these four directions and clear them out and meet up again here," he starred a spot by a staircase. "There two people stay guarding and the other two go in. Lucario will stay at the top with those two…" More pencil lines and more of Sabrina's careful planning was scribbled out.

"Ash – is your Lucario really lazy?" Erika asked, as she looked at the sleeping jackal. "He hasn't budged an inch for… ages."

"He's searching for something, he'll be awake by morning," Ash seemed unworried by the condition of the jackal. At the moment he seemed more concerned with something the Eevee morph was communicating as the current Espeon strolled towards him.

"_What do you mean meet here instead of there?"_

"_Don't stay split for too long – your stronger together, then meet by the stairs and clear a way out while you grab the gears."_

Ash considered the Espeon in front of him. "That actually makes sense. All right then, we meet up again here..." He drew some more lines.

Lance paced over to the map, squinting at it. "You know that doesn't make any sense," he baffled as he turned his head upside down trying to read it. "And I thought you said you had a Vaporeon,"

Ash and Sabrina snapped at Lance simultaneously, "It _does_ make sense," And Lance stepped back, hands up in mock surrender.

"Okay, Okay! Don't bite my head off,"

Ash glanced towards his Espeon which was stalking up and down. "And she's a Vaporeon…"

"Sometimes," Erika added.

"And an Espeon too…"

"Sometimes."

Ash nodded at the Gym Leader, "Exactly."

"You what?" Lance didn't understand.

As an answer the purple fox titled its head, red jewel on its forehead glittered before its entire body shimmered and rippled, changing that of an icy blue Glaceon. "Gla?" she asked. (Better?)

"Much," Ash smiled as Lance's jaw dropped open. The raven pushed up his sleeves, leaning down to look at the map as Sabrina muttered something in his ear. The champion found his attention drawn now the splash of pink tied just above his arm.

"Is that?" Lance paused, as he took a step forwards, "Is that Misty's handkerchief?"

Ash's one hand flew to the pink material tied to his left arm, eye flashing with pain. He nodded silently.

The orange mouse stalked forwards, tail whipping back and forth as it chirped, "RaiChiRai RaichuChuRai RaiChu," (He doesn't like to remember but he doesn't like to forget Misty)

Of course this made no sense to Lance and the stuff that Sabrina and Ash were arguing about now didn't make any sense either. He sighed and leaned against a wall, sliding down it tiredly.

"Worst day of my life," he muttered. "Can it get any worse? And nobody had even cared to explain _why _we're plotting to break into Team Rocket Headquarters! Fantastic."

His Pokétch on his wrist began to ring.

"Now that's _not_ fantastic. Spoke too soon. Spoke way too soon."

Ash and Sabrina looked up but it was Erika who voiced the question. "Who's that?"

"May," Lance looked down at his beeping wristwatch. He would have to take the call or the brunette would have a go at him later. He glanced up at Ash. "You should probably keep quiet for the next minute or two,"

Blue eyes flickered red, then calmed to a pale grey. The raven simply nodded as the red head pressed the small button on the side.

He angled the watch so he could see the small screen, a high resolution image of the brunette's face appearing on it. He smiled but then stopped, seeing her depressed expression. "What's up?" he asked.

"I…" May bit her lip and in the background, her Ninetales cooed softly. "I ran that number of the Shadow through our records,"

Blink. "Didn't you do that already?"

"I did it again."

"And…"

"I ran it through the dead ID this time."

Lance's eyes flickered upwards to Ash and down again. When he spoke his voice was deathly silent, "So what came up?"

May had taken her blue bandana off and was twisting it in her hands like a dish cloth, "I was speaking to Dawn and Brock…and they agreed…too many coincidences…"

"Just tell me the bloody name May!" Lance sighed, exasperatedly.

May squeaked. "Ash. It was Ash's ID. The man's an aura guardian. He knows us. Brock told us his quote regarding Politics was 'The League can rot in hell and the Teams I'll send there myself, but SECTION isn't half bad.' He worked for SECTION and the League were the ones which ordered that stupid plan up at the Plateau that day. I ran a search on Fergy, that guy that was killed up at the Ruins, he was one of the ones who supported the idea. And he funded researchers to visit Orre but I can't see how that's important and-"

"May, you're babbling."

Lance stared up at Ash who had paced over and had been the one who had spoken. For a man who was meant to be dead he looked faintly amused, glancing down at the Pokétch.

The reaction from the brunette was slow coming. "Lance…who was that…?" Then a pause and…. "Oh Arceus he's there isn't he?"

Ash's eyes flickered to black at the mention of the deity's name but he replied, "Long time no see Saph."

"My name isn't Sapphire! And… oh Kyogre… is it really you?"

A chuckle. "No I'm not Kyogre. I'll take you to meet him if you want." His tone was light and teasing, but it then dropped, "I don't know." The reply was quiet and contained a note of some strange emotion. "I don't know any more, May."

A pause. "I'm not going to ask what happened to you. There'll be plenty of time for that later."

Lance and Ash were silent.

"Won't there? We will see each other later right?"

"May… the reason I haven't come back is because there… won't be a later… Once all this is over… I'll be gone… I'll be truly dead. No coming back."

Blink. "Uh…all right then… well…uh…" she sniffed, but the harder, and stronger May than before the war swallowed it down, "If that's the case can I just spend some time…uh… talking to you… because I guess I won't see you after this…"

"You can't tell her," Ash's only reply. "If you tell her it'll kill her."

Somehow, the brunette far away in Viridian knew who he was talking about. Instead she inquired, "What about… Dawn, Brock?"

Ash sent Lance a 'Can't you handle this?' look and the red head glared at him. Still, the champion spoke, "Tell them. Keep it quiet." On the small screen May nodded, eyes dry and resolute.

"We can… end this…can't we?"

Ash's eyes flickered blue. "Yes. Yes we can."

* * *

><p><strong>[7:00AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Saffron Gym –Ash/Lance/Sabrina/Erika**

Ash blinked tiredly. He had spent half the night, talking quietly to his old friend. Just talking, rambling about stupid little thing, contests and ribbons, Pokémon and evolutions. Eventually May had yawned loudly, blinking at the screen and Ash had told her to go to sleep.

The screen had flickered to black leaving the raven with the rest of the night to sit there and plan.

Now with the sun rising and his Lucario shifting on its black paws, crimson eyes glowing, Zorua, already flitting between various disguises, Eevee, snarling to herself as she licked a paw and Raichu, stalking up and down one wall.

Presently Lance, Erika and Sabrina appeared eyes sharp and ready. The psychic gym leader frowned at Ash, still sitting on the floor, back propped against the wall and eyes half closed. "You having fun down there?"

"Time of my life," Ash snorted, standing with one fluid movement, taking a single step and appearing across the other side of the room. "Ya' all ready?"

Lance shook his head, "This is madness,"

Ash shrugged, "It's Team Rocket we're fighting. Go figure."

"I'm in," Erika's eyes were glowing with anger and her bow was in her hand. "Let's do it. Now. While those bastards are still asleep."

Sabrina looked mildly impressed, "I'm with Flowers," she nodded her head to the Celadon Gym leader who glared at the nickname. She had found a green poncho somewhere of soft material, and underneath a pale coloured shirt. She wore a pair of jeans and brown boots that came over her ankle, thick and hiking appropriate.

Sabrina was decked in her usual gym clothes, as Lance was in his Champion's gear. Ash was glad he had toned it down to navy and had lost the red cloak though. Now _that_ would have attracted attention.

Ash barely glanced twice at the large, orange dragon that perched outside just within the wards. The other two blue evolutions were talking quietly in quiet hums and coos. Erika jumped at the sight of them before recovering her composure with a sad look on her face, likely thinking of her lost Pokémon.

Lance shook his head again, "This is madness," he repeated.

Ash smirked, "No. This is war."

* * *

><p><strong>[7:06AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Outside Silph Co. – West - Sabrina**

Sabrina shook her head. One minute behind schedule. They should be in the damn base by now!

She almost slammed her fist against the wall but at the sight of an approaching rocket guard she decided instead to flatten herself against the brick work.

The footsteps paused.

Sabrina held her breath.

And then slowly, but gradually the hated sound of rubber boots on concrete approached her hiding place.

_Go away!_ The psychic willed, trying to turn the approaching mind.

Nothing.

In her hand she gripped the small knife.

_Click Clop Click Clop._

She held her breath as the step approached. But still they appeared. Again she tried to wrestle control over the person, but her mind swam over it like there was nobody there. Almost like when Ash had first turned up with that damn fox of…

"Sabrina?"

The gym leader relaxed as the rocket peered at her. Deep purple eyes of a Zorua stared back, despite the outward appearance of a dark haired Team member. The psychic bared her teeth at the disguised fox, "You damn fool – I thought you were Team!" she hissed through clenched teeth.

The woman shrugged, "Not my fault – you missed your signal."

Sabrina glanced at her watch. Two minute late. "What happened with the others?"

Zo shrugged, "Who knows – I lost connection a while back. This base does weird things to your head." The fox cast a curious look to Sabrina, "How's your psych?"

"Well enough once we're done and through with this crazy plan of the dead guy." Sabrina muttered, standing straight, hand clenched tightly around the knife as she slipped along the wall like a shadow to make any ninja proud. The door along the alley way was already open, swinging loosely in the breeze.

Sabrina hid a smile.

She was in!

* * *

><p><strong>[7:06AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Outside Silph Co. – East - Lance**

The champion tapped the wall quietly, listening. Nope, that definitely was solid. He moved along half a pace, tapping again and listening with a cup he had filched from the kitchen downstairs. Lucky nobody lived here anymore.

Well…he hoped nobody did.

Otherwise they might soon discover a large hole in one of their upstairs bedrooms.

_Thonk. Thonk._

He hid a grin as the wall echoed. Hollow.

He gestured to his smallest blue dragon. The small dragon glared at him for a short moment with a "TiniDrat!" (I'm not a flamethrower!) before rolling its eyes and started to charge up a Dragon Rage.

Lance wised up and moved into the next room.

The sound of crumbling walls and bricks and mortar was quiet, just like he had hoped. A small chirped from his dragon called him back. Once again he wished the other two were with him but he reminded himself that they were safely hidden in the sky, ready for their quick get-away.

The youngest dragon he tucked onto his shoulder. "Watch my back," he told his faithful companion before turning back to the small man sized burnt and battered hole in the wall.

The champion grimaced, "Bring it on," he muttered, as he stepped through.

* * *

><p><strong>[7:06AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Outside Silph Co. – North - Erika**

The woman paced slowly up to the large, blank wall. The last patrol had just passed and she reckoned with five minutes before the next one appeared. "So what's the big plan?" she asked the fox and mouse that stood by her side.

"RaiRaichu!" The mouse waved his long tail around emphatically. (We break in!)

Erika shook her head, "I don't understand guys. Just do what you have to – I'll follow – Right?"

"Feon," the fox who was trying to be nice was in Leafeon form. (Right) Va glanced both ways before calling out to the mouse who was currently looking at something near the top of the building.

"Rai," he chirped, waving with his tail a bit more.

The cream fox narrowed her eyes, but after whipping several razor leaves into the brick Erika suddenly understand.

"The grating?" she asked and the mouse who was already scampering up the footholds nodded. Gingerly, the grass type gym leader followed, tucking her hair behind her ears as she ascended.

The fox quivered at her heels, chirping something that was only too clearly a 'Hurry Up!'. Up ahead the orange mouse had already iron tailed the grating.

"Chu!" (Look out!) Erika barely dodged the falling metal grate that fell to the ground below her with a clang. She stared at it a moment with shock.

"What was that?"

"How am I meant to know what goes on in this freaky town. You check it out!"

"No way Jessie – Meowth – you do it!"

"Whatevs guys – it not like someone's trying to break into the base or sompingk,"

Erika both cursed and thanked her luck. For some reason those three idiots were patrolling. They shouldn't be much danger unless they saw her. She just had to get into the ventilation system before they saw her, balanced precariously on the outside of the building.

Raichu was already in, calling down to her. The fox behind her nipped lightly at her heels, another way to tell her to get a move on.

"Okay, okay," she hissed, reaching for another hand hold and pulling herself up until she was face to face with the open hole in the wall.

"Jimmy Boy – can't believe ya' let Butch beat'ya at somping."

"That Cassidy…ugh she does my head in!"

Another foothold, another foothold come on come on come on come on

Erika froze as she saw their shadows below her. Nonono they were too early.

"Leafeon!" The fox cried in anguish. (Move you idiot!)

The shadows down below paused at the noise.

"What was that?"

Raichu stared at her with mournful eyes, telling her to move.

Arceus damn it. Erika found the foothold and pushed herself into the ventilation shaft. She could still hear the idiots muttering.

"A bottlecap! I found a rare bottle cap – I'm rich I'm rich I'm rich!" Thus followed the sounds of someone being hit over the head.

Then the small passage darkened as the fox jumped in, switching to an Umbreon with yellow rings providing an eerie glow.

Erika gave herself a moment's breathing space. She was in. Finally.

This might be harder than she thought.

* * *

><p><strong>[7:06AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Outside Silph Co. – South - Ash**

The dark haired man strolled leisurely up to the front door of Silph Co. He looked so relaxed and at ease, that for some reason the guards barely glanced twice at him, ignoring the dangerous aura he was emitting. They assumed he was where he was meant to be.

When the blue aura blades formed in each hand and the Lucario next to him made a staff of blue fire appear well…

They took slight more notice of him then.

It was too late though as the aura guardian toppled them. In his right hand a blue sphere replaced the blade, and with a deft movement he spun around, slamming into the ground in front of the door.

Smoke billowed out from the door…uh… the thing that used to be a door. It hung of mangled hinges, blackened and charred, Ash's shadowy figure barely visible behind all the smoke. Lucario narrowed his red eyes as he took up a position next to his master.

The various rockets scattered around the lobby raised their weapons as Ash strolled casually inside. One of them, brave enough to call out, yelled, "State your business!"

Ash stared at him in disbelief.

"I just knocked down your front door. What do _you_ think my business is?"

* * *

><p><strong>[7:10AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – West Wing of Silph Co. - Erika**

"I'm lost I'm lost I'm lost I'm lost!" the gym leader sighed as she came to another dead end. Well… technically it was the rat which was leading her around in circles. Erika made it her life's ambition never to go crawling around in ventilation shafts _ever_ again.

There was a noise beneath her and the Nature Loving Princess rolled her eyes. She was going to drop out right now or stay stuck in this shaft until time reset itself.

She paused, kicking with her thick boot at the metal which lifted flimsily. After judging the distance to the floor the girl eased herself through the gap leaving Raichu and Eevee to deal with their mission.

Her bow was up and ready as soon as she landed and she had to stop herself shooting Sabrina and a rocket who must have been Zo in the face. She brushed a dust Buneary from her poncho, greeting them as if this were an everyday occurrence, "Found the vaults yet?"

Zo shook her dark hair, "Nope – but we heard the voice announcing somebody had knocked down the front door. Ash is in. Have Va 'nd Rai got the power yet?"

"The mouse keeps getting lost," Erika felt remarkably calm as she notched her bow and shot an approaching rocket over Sabrina's shoulder. The second received a dark pulse from the humanized Zorua, knocking him out.

The dark haired woman scowled, "Rai always used to insist it was Ash who got lost. But no-o, that mouse doesn't have a sense of direction since his electro field mucks up his magnetic one. Honestly. That mouse!"

* * *

><p><strong>[7:12AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – West Wing of Silph Co. – Ventilation Shaft – Va & Rai **_**(Please note – Pokéspeech will be temporarily translated)**_

The mouse in question let out a sneeze as some dust tickled his nose, "Gah!" he complained, swiping at it, "Why aren't we there yet?"

Behind him the fox was waving her tail slowly, gaze practically glaring at the Raichu, "Someone must be talking about you," she commented dryly as the mouse let out another comical sneeze.

"We're not lost," Raichu insisted.

The now brown Eevee blinked before stating patronizingly, "Just keep telling yourself that Rai, just keep telling yourself that. Now if you don't mind, I want to find the Generator sometime today and not into next year," and with that, she pushed past the indignant mouse, stalking off as best as one could when stuck in a cramped and dark metal shaft.

Raichu stared morosely after her before bouncing along, the lightning tip to his tail glowing slightly in the gloom. "When you're sick of leading us around in circles and come begging for me to lead you there I'll have to think twice before forgiving you," he tried to save some dignity.

Ahead of him Va snorted, "Leading _us_ around in circles? Were you not just describing yourself a few minutes back?" She paused and Raichu almost walked into her fluffy tail. Morphing into a Jolteon with a slight shimmer, her fur becoming spiky and paling to a soft yellow, needle like spikes sticking up and around in a messy array of electric yellow. She unsheathed her claws, hooking her paw around a ceiling tile and with a deft flick, pulling it up.

Her eyes were smug as she curled her tail over her paws, looking innocently at the mouse, "_I_" she put emphasis on this word, "Never get lost,"

Raichu peered down below him, sighing.

But Va wasn't quite finished.

"Unlike some Pokémon I know,"

He glared at her, "All right, rub it in why don't you?"

She smiled, "I think I will," Before turning around and leaping down the hole in the ventilation system.

Raichu watched her go alarmed, "I'm an idiot," he muttered to himself.

"Yes you are!" Va called up from below, "Now get your sorry ass down here!"

Rai rolled his eyes, "Here goes nothin'," he sighed, pushing off into the unknown.

Talk about look before you leap.

* * *

><p><strong>[7:12AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – East Wing of Silph Co. - Lance**

The base was fairly empty Lance's side of things. He assumed that everybody was off chasing after…or more likely running away from the deadly aura guardian, or trying to capture Sabrina and Zo the opposite side of the base. He wondered vaguely if Erika had gotten in all right, as the lights were still on and power still running.

Dratini was once again slung over his shoulders as he took off down a corridor, heading towards the centre of the base. Towards the vaults buried deeply within the complex. The spiky red haired champion ran a hand though his hair as he ducked through a doorway, checking both ways down the corridor before heading west, away from the East Wing of the building.

Stairs, he ducked down them, feet clattering on the metal making it ring. His eyes were sharp as he checked for guard but still the coast was clear. He ducked his head to look at his wrist, where a compass was flashing on his Pokétch. He paused, watching as the needle swung lazily around to north, blinking for a second before picking a corridor that took him west.

Footsteps from up ahead gave him only a split second warning to dive down to the right, into what looked like an open storage cupboard. He almost fell over a box, as he pulled the door behind him closed, leaving only a hairline fraction through which to peer through. At the end of the corridor three figures in white had paused, looking down to where he had been standing only seconds before.

The blue haired man scratched his chin thoughtfully, "So who's breaking into the base again?" he asked, eyes sharp as he scanned the corridor.

The woman next to him with red hair tapped her heels against the ground impatiently, "Who knows? He just walked in here and the blithering guards didn't think twice until after he'd moved. We're got him penned in near the front though, so he shouldn't be a problem. We'll capture him and get some information out of him yet,"

The last man, purple haired and stooped sighed, "You're sick and twisted Arianna. Sick and twisted. We'll leave him to you then?"

The woman huffed, "Yeah, right. Let that new mad scientist we found to replace Fuji have a go. Wonder what will happen to this one?"

Archer visibly shuddered, "Don't remind me. That last fellow… well… he got killed anyway. Do you reckon' Gio even knew it was the escaped experiment? When he was killed up at Indigo?"

Arianna nodded in agreement, but Petrol was distracted, pacing closer to the door. Lance froze, holding his breath, one hand on his sword.

"Nah. Gio wouldn't have killed him otherwise. I still say it was a mistake."

"Why?" the woman pouted.

"Did you see the champion? And the Waterflower girl? If they hadn't been held back then Gio would have been toast there and then. So what if he managed to kill one of the elites. Ever since we've had them on our tails, harder and more deadly."

Lance backed away, out of the light, stepping silently over the box he had tripped over earlier. His left hand went out to support himself, and it rested on a wooden shelf, filled with slotted circular holes.

The red haired champion blinked, as his hand met a smooth, red and white sphere.

A grin began creeping its way up his face and the dragon around his neck glowed softly.

* * *

><p><strong>[7:14AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – West Wing of Silph Co. – Generator Room – Va & Rai **_**(Please note – Pokéspeech will be temporarily translated)**_

"This is the last time I _ever_ follow you!" Rai hissed, as he fended off a steel Voltorb with an iron hard tail.

Va snarled as she shot several razor leaves off at several Electabuzz, "Oh yeah? Well it's not like I'm going to follow _you_ anywhere! So there!" with the last words she shot several shadow balls off, then bounded forwards with an aerial ace.

Raichu backed away from two Electrodes which had joined their smaller evolution. "Any ideas?" he asked the fox as the Leafeon morphed into a Flareon surrounded by swirling flames.

Va shot out a stream of flames, burning a small hole in the circle of generator Pokémon attacking them. "No," she hissed, as she batted an Elekid away with one paw. "You?"

Raichu's electricity was useless as he spun around with another iron tail, "One. But it might not work. Wanna' give it a go?"

"Why not? What have we to lose?" Va morphed back into a grass type, just in time to take an electric jolt. She winced, brushing it off as sent several energy balls towards Manetric.

"Trust me?" Rai asked, shooting a look at his partner.

Va smirked, but the grin was feral as the Flareon's fangs grew elongated and tinged with flames, "As long as you're not leading us through ventilation shafts!" She snarled, as she crunched down on a steel and electric Magnemite. "Otherwise, always."

Raichu stared at the army of Magnemite, Shinx, Electrodes, Manetric, Eleckrikes, Luxrays, Elekid and Electabuzz. He sighed, "Oh well. Here goes nothing."

Va closed her eyes.

Across the Team Rocket complex, the lights flickered and died.

* * *

><p><em>AN - I'm not going to apologise for the late update. I know it was late but I've just had exam hell. Seriously, who decided to dump four exams in the same week? And those hour and a half maths, one after the other?_

_But I'm back and with only one exam left (history in month) and next to no school I can start writing again! So hopefully I can write a bit more and begin posting more regularly._

_To Cherucha – Yes, Both Ash and Pikachu died. Pikachu was shot and Ash had his throat slit. Both were half-dead from previous tortures before the incident which I'm not going to elaborate on. Their bodies were then thrown off the Indigo Plateau cliffs. It's mentioned by Sabrina in the chapter 'Saffron', Misty has flashbacks in the chapter 'Ghost Peak' and explained what happened after that in 'Western Horizons' by Lucario when he was at Mount Coronet, explained why to Lance in the same chapter. Hope that clarifies things. _

_Ash's mom and Prof Oak are dead. I think. How yet, I have yet to determine. Either that or I'll be nice and dump them in Unova. Of which, I'm not including any Unovian PKMN. I may, in passing, mention Unova as it is a certible region but I have no intention of doing more than that. Ash never went on an Unova journey. Any of those problems he solved I will assume the Player Black or White sorted them out. I will remain to vaguely mentioned Zekrom since he's the lightning god (has anybody else realised that a Thunder attack should just be a load of loud noise), and I'll leave it at that. And Zorua's a star but then she popped up in Sinnoh, so really she doesn't count. _

_Ash in a lab will be enlightened upon. By several characters who don't have permission to say anything (glares at Archer and Arianna (I know her name should probably have only one 'n'!)), but went ahead anyway, and by me when I finally decide to throw in the flashback._

_~Eclipse~_


	9. New World

**Chapter 9 – New World**

"_Wild, dark times are rumbling towards us, and the prophet who wishes to write a new apocalypse will have to invent entirely new beasts and beasts so terrible…" - _Heinrich Heine

* * *

><p><strong>[9:00AM] – 22<strong>**rd**** May – Pewter City – South East SECTION Base - Dawn**

"_Piplup_!" Dawn whined as the penguin in question knocked over her empty mug of coffee. The blunette ran a hand through her hair, eyes drifting to the rosy hued stone across the desk.

The small blue Pokémon pouted, chirping as he stuck his beak in the air, "Pip! PipLup!"

Dawn shook her head, righting her mug and wiping the slight dribble of coffee that had split onto a sheet of paper. For what seemed like the millionth time that morning, her platinum blue eyes scanned the details on the sheet. Scrawled in black ink, an elegant hand but somewhat hastily scribble upon it, was a note, on a yellow post-it, one edge folded over and a small doodle in the corner to get the ink running.

A note Dawn was almost sure had never been there before.

'_Time Gear – Victory Caves – Psychic'_

It had been stuck hastily to a map of Kanto and Johto, the main, bar of land across the bottom of the page. To the north, lay the ocean, with an island located in the top left. The girl's eyes softened at the map of Sinnoh, resting slightly of the page. The tip of Mount Coronet was only just visible on the page, and her eyes strayed to where her home town would be. She sighed, flicking to a page of notes she had collected several years ago. A title on the top depicted it to be the Legend of the Time Gears.

She stared at the neat, typed script, as the story flowed and ebbed with the words. As two friends, linked through destiny, darkness and time saved the world from its sticky fate.

Her blue gaze slid to the next page, a map of all the regions now, Kanto and Johto centred, north of an ocean hosting large amounts of islands, grouped into Sevii and Orange. Above, the whole of Sinnoh could be seen. The landmass extended sideways, to where the harsh deserts of Orre lay, and south of them, the tropical Hoenn. Various spots were marked in red marker pen, all potential places where the legendry temporal tower could have stood. Dawn and May hadn't succeeded in narrowing it down any further.

She placed this map next to the other, her eyes catching the black marker on the other dotting various sites with question marks. Most lay in Johto and Kanto, bar one hovering over Mount Coronet. A single circle lay on the border between the two regions, where Victory Cave had once been.

"Anything?" Brock popped his head through the open door.

Dawn shook her head, "A legend, a map with potential places for the temporal time rift and a map with who knows what on."

The tanned man leant over her shoulder, staring at the faded yellow post-it note. "So do you reckon there's an earth and water and fire time gear too? And one for every other Pokémon type?"

"What?" Dawn leaned forward, staring at the note, "Psychic?" her eyes flickered to the pinkish hue of the stone, "You think they're all type related?"

Brock scratched his chin, "I'd say 'yes' but then that means seventeen gears."

Dawn frowned, "Fifteen. Gary knows where one is and we have one here."

Brock glanced at the two maps. He pointed to one, "So if one was found here…" he pointed to the black circle, "Then it would make sense that the others are suspected places where they are hidden,"

Dawn raised an eyebrow, "Okay, I'm hopeless. You lost me there," She leaned back, crossing her arms, "Start at the beginning,"

Brock stood to one side, frowning. "Say there are seventeen gears. One for each type." Dawn nodded, "And they're hidden around the regions. They could be anywhere."

"But we already have two!" Dawn told him.

"From where?" He prompted.

A light lit up in the girls eyes, "Victory Caves and Viridian Forest," She snatched the map from the table, "Then according to this thirteen might be hidden in Johto and Kanto, one in Sinnoh, and one not on the map. We've got the locations!" Her eyes gleamed, and then dimmed, "But we don't know where to take them."

Brock pulled a note from his pocket, "I think our mystery friend helped with that," He said, handing it to her.

Her eyes flickered over it, "Take the gears to the place where the sun died when the moon is full. A message will come in rain and you will go." She read, "So where did the sun die?" she asked, then answered her question as her thought progressed. "The west, they always talk about the sun dying in the west…sunset and all that. And the full moon… wasn't that meant to be yesterday when Gary met Leaf and Misty…or does that give us a month…"

Brock's head snapped to Dawn, "Misty. Water. Rain. A message will come in the rain."

Dawn stared. Silence hung between them, frosty and tense, both skirting around a certain topic. The blunette's gaze dropped to the floor and she sighed. "I feel like an idiot."

Brock frowned, "Don't." he cautioned, "Otherwise the world will be filled with fools."

Dawn smiled thinly, "He was right here. He talked to me in that same annoying way he always has and I didn't even notice."

The man perched himself on the edge of the table, "When trying to find one's identity, you avoid who they could really be at all costs, to avoid the pain and hurt. We blinded ourselves."

"Gary knows. I was wondering… Misty?"

"I think that's why he's still officially dead."

Dawn rested her head on her arms, closing her eyes tiredly, "Well at least now we can say it's possible to come back from the dead." Dawn turned away, glancing at the message that popped up on the screen of the computer, head slumping on her arms as Piplup and Buneary threw gentle ice beams at each other, innocently.

Brock let out a chuckle, but it was weak and quiet in the oppressive silence.

* * *

><p><strong>[9:15AM] – 22<strong>**rd**** May – Cerulean Cave – Cerulean SECTION Base - Leaf/Misty/Gary**

Misty rested her head on her arms, staring at the papers that lay spread out on the table in front of her. Her eyes blurred and she yawned. Her eyelids slid closed as she nodded off, her breathing deepening.

_Beep Beep. Beep Beep._

The red head jumped, eyes flashing open and her tone dropped dangerously, "Ga-ry… Please tell me that's not your phone!"

The spiky haired man shrugged as he reached across to the red device, "That's not my phone."

Turquoise eyes blinked, "Then why are you answering it?"

"Because it's my phone."

"But you just said…"

"You asked me not to."

The woman's eyes narrowed dangerously. Gary saved himself by flipping open the Gear and answering, "Dawn? Can you not wait for me to catch at least one wink of sleep before you wake me up?"

"Are you in Cerulean?"

"Yes,"

"Good, I'm going to mail you something Karen wants you to pick up. But first me and Brock were wondering whether you knew about Shadow."

Gary glanced at Misty who ignored the stare, trying to go back to sleep. He gave an affirmative "Yes" though it was quiet and barely audible.

There was a pause on the other end. Then Dawn asked, "We've got some info we'd like you'd to leave at Cerulean for Leaf and Misty to have a look into. Got a pencil and paper?"

"One sec…" Gary stood up to find some writing implements, while Misty raised her head groggily. Sleep wasn't going to come to her with the guy on the phone and certainly not with Leaf's snoring. She elbowed her friend.

"Hm? Wha-?"

"You were snoring. You said to wake you if that ever happened."

The brunette looked up indignantly, "I do _not _snore! Ditty, do I snore?"

The pink blob who was currently painting with a palette attached to its arms shook his head. Misty stuck out her tongue at him, "He's biased. Gary, does Leaf snore?"

The spiky haired researcher was distracted as he scribbled down what the girl on the other end was relaying to him. He shook his head to fend of the questions and Leaf punched the air in victory, albeit groggily. "See," she smirked at the red head.

Misty hit her head against the table, closing her eyes.

"Jiggly!" Leaf's pink Pokémon skipped around, waving a microphone/ pen around.

Misty's gaze grew thoughtful. "Leaf? Can I steal your Jigglypuff for a minute?"

In response the pink balloon Pokémon was snatched into the brunette's arms. "No! Leave Jiggly alone Mist! After all, you still haven't thanked me for capturing her and stopping her following you lot around Kanto."

"Right. Thank you. Does she still deface people with that pen of hers?"

"Nope! 'Fore the war she drew pictures and made money!"

Misty wisely decided to stop the conversation there, turning to the researcher, "Gary? When are you going back to Pewter?"

The man in question looked up, caught off guard, one pencil behind his ear and another in his hand as he scribbled down the details. His Pokégear was still trapped between his shoulder and ear. "Uh? Tomorrow. Day after. Whenever SECTION gives the go-ahead." He shifted the phone to his other ear, "Sorry, what was that Dawn?"

"Do you have a dragon Pokémon? One with the capability to use a dragon pulse?"

"How strong?"

"Oh, it only needs to be weak. 'Cos guess what it does!"

Misty stood, and stalked over to peer over the scientist's shoulder, looking at the scribbled notes with interest. Gary leaned back in his chair, angling the phone for her to hear Dawn's cheerful, caffeine hyper voice. "No," he admitted, "What does it do?"

"Well, Lance's dragons were tossing around the things the other day at 'ridian, and according to May they hit one of her Pokéballs. You know, one of the ones that locked down completely."

Misty and Gary perked with interest. "Yeah? What happened?"

"Now, that's the thing. The Pokéball cracked, completely."

"Oh dear."

"Better. The Pokémon was released first. May got her Glaceon back. But when they tried to replicate it, it didn't work."

Gary grabbed another piece of paper, flinging the phone on Misty who scrabbled to catch it for a few seconds before she got a firm grip on it, "Uh… so what moves? Dragon Pulse, weak electromagnetic field combined with fire? Lightning? Or was it specified to the evolutions? And what's the significance of Dragon Pulse?"

There was a shuffling of paper from the other end of the line, "I don't know. Lance didn't get that far in testing it, we had that whole As-Shadow fiasco…uh…Shadow fiasco," Dawn cleared her throat. "Any way, you got all that Gear info?"

Gary nodded, "Yep. And I'll pick up that package for Karen. See you back at Pewter in two days then."

"Don't rush back. Spend some time with Leaf. Oh, and when you get back we're moving you from your lab, safety and all that crap. Look after yourself Misty!"

The red head had just discovered the content of the pages of notes, and her turquoise eyes were glued to the paper, as the one fact floated to her head.

_Find Lorelei Prima._

However, where, was a very good question that needed to be asked, Misty mused, as she stared at the page of notes, one corner flicking over from where Gary had leaned on it, sad and desolate – It was one of those times Misty wondered what Ash would have done.

Because really. How do you go about finding someone who doesn't want to be found?

* * *

><p><strong>[9:40AM] – 22<strong>**rd**** May – Cerulean Cave – Cerulean SECTION Base – Pokémon Centre - Leaf/Misty**

_Beep_. The door slid open to Leaf's card as the brunette skipped through to the ranch. She chirped a greeted to Nurse Joy…Nurse _Joys_, and Misty followed, not wanting to waste the time to find out how this pair was related. The brunette skipped on ahead, Jiggly following and waving the microphone…uh…pen …

The author paused, scratching her head, and opened up a bulbapedia page to check what exactly it was.

Jiggly waved her pen around and Misty narrowed her eyes at the way it look suspiciously like a microphone. Was it possible to have the two mixed together?

The red head shook her head and her lips twitched in a smile as the doors slid open, and Golduck and Azurmaril hopped up to her.

"Zurill! Ril Zil Azu. (Misty! We missed you!)" the aqua rabbit squeaked, and the newly evolved duck nodded sagely. The Cerulean Gym Leader kneeled as the rabbit threw itself into her arms and Misty laughed as she stood up, swinging her around.

"Happy to see me huh?" she asked, her turquoise gaze falling on the duck. She placed Azurmaril down and knelt in front of Golduck, eyes bright. "Heya there? How you enjoying your evolution?"

The duck tilted his head to one side, yellow eyes blinking. "Gol," he quacked, happily and Misty smiled.

"I never did say thank you, did I? For evolving and saving me. Well…thanks. You were so brave. You're evolution has been a long time coming but I couldn't have wanted it to happen at a better time. Uh…I guess I'm sorry I shouted at you when you were still a Psyduck."

The duck rolled his eyes, "DuckGol, Golduck," (I guess I was pretty stupid at times) and he clapped his hands together.

Misty smiled, "Well, I wanted to ask whether you wanted to come with me on a journey. Hopefully it will only be short, but we need to find…"

"He-ey! Mis-ty! Whatcha' doin'?" Leaf's energetic call rang out across the room. "I don't have _all _day to wait for you!"

Misty stood up, running her hand through the smooth, oily feathers on Golduck's head, wondering whether Leaf was any relation to Dawn. It should be illegal to be that hyper. "Yeah? What's up?"

Leaf appeared, Cleffy and Jiggly at her side, "Didn't you want to check up on Gyra? Sooo you coming?"

Leaf seemed to be bouncing on the balls of her feet and Misty exchanged a smirk with her duck, before following after the cheerful brunette. The Pokémon Centre at Cerulean was large, more like the reserve at Professor Oak's lab than the old, 'please can you heal my Pokémon' centres. At the end, past a forest and a piece of gravelly mountain and earth, there was a large pool, made into a sort of lake with a diving board at one end. The water was still, save for a few Seel and Psyduck splashing around the shallow edges.

Misty paced up to the end, and then stepped back as the hyper aqua rabbit jumped in with a squeal. Golduck remained more reserved standing beside her, his head tilted on the side.

"Gyarados!" Misty raised her voice and it ripple out across the water. Leaf skipped over, but then thought better of it and moved over to the shallows to play with the Seel and a Milotic which had emerged silently from the depths of the lake.

The rippling water started slowly from one end, and Misty squinted, peering down through the murky water.

It wasn't a human made pool, she realised, but rather one of the natural pools of Cerulean Cave that flowed out from under Mount Moon. She repressed the shiver at the thought of the dark, ghost mountain. She wasn't jealous of Agatha, but couldn't work out _why_ the elite chose to stay there of all places.

_Well, I suppose places that nobody's ever going to come to makes a nice place to start._

Like Lorelei, she reflected, who was also hidden away, wanting nothing to do with the war.

Well tough.

The war was going to find her.

The river that ran under Nugget Bridge, coasting in from the sea, the salty water meeting the clean, fresh mountain spring water gathered together in the shadows of Cerulean Caves. Misty remembered when they first made their base here there had been rumours and whispers of a dark presence that slumbered down here, as all powerful Pokémon that was unbeatable.

It might have explained the significant lack of wild Pokémon on the deepest, lowest and darkest levels of the cave networks but nothing had ever been proved.

The caves were, Misty reflected, more of a labyrinth. Even when the base had been built, most passages still had to follow natural tunnels and crevices and SECTION had made an effort to put a large number of maps at regular intervals. They were hidden, obviously, lest an enemy break into the base and be confronted with a nice, large document depicting 'You are here' for them to navigate their way around.

Unless of course you were Leaf, who had stared at the map suspiciously for several minutes before asking, "How does it know where I am?"

Misty had hit herself with her own mallet at that comment.

Bubbles were rising to the surface now, and the Goldeen and Seaking swimming in the murk, along with the occasional Magikarp that hadn't been fished out and been evolved lovingly into a Gyrados, scattered with flicks and deft twists of their body, slipping smoothly through the water like…well…fish…

She peered through the crystal clear pool, down to where she could see the deep blue form of her sea snake, emerging from the depths. She reflected on how she would have loved to be down there with him, swimming.

She hadn't gone swimming since he had died.

It was something good. Something happy. Something that just let her float away, wash away with the current. But even as much as she wanted to drown her sorrows, she couldn't ever really let it go.

She used to love swimming, the feeling of weightlessness as she spun and arced effortlessly through the water, her body unrestrained by gravity or the hard unfeeling earth, light and deft in the cool soft water.

It was her world.

It was her life.

The surface of the water broke as with a roar, the atrocious Pokémon burst forth, droplets scattering and running down his scale, glinting in the soft artificial lighting. His jaws were bared wide, fins flicking out a spray of water that sent several of the Pokémon near the water's edge racing away. Misty stood there, revelling in the cool liquid that splashed onto her.

The water bubbled as Gyarados shook his great head, body writhing as he eventually settled down, lowering his head and his great and terrible jaws closing.

"Just like one big Skitty," Leaf hopped around, out of reach of any potential water splashes and Gyarados prone attacks. Her comment in question was directed to the sea snake as he affectionately rubbed his head against Misty's outstretched hand, a low rumble emerging which sounded suspiciously like a purr.

"Hey, Gyra?" Misty asked, falling instinctively into using his old nickname, "How have you been? Me and Golduck are going on a journey. I'm making Azurmarill stay here, but we need someone to transport us around. Would you like to get out for a bit?"

"Garroarr," the sea dragon grumbled softly, eyes closed before he nodded his great head in agreement.

Leaf ventured slightly closer, "Do you want me to look after Azure when you are gone?" she asked, biting her lip, "I was wondering actually whether you wanted me to come with you," she admitted. "Uh… do you?"

"Do you want to come? I'm not quite sure where we're going," Misty admitted.

Leaf crossed her arms, humming to herself, "Hmm, anything is better than dilly-dallying about the base."

Misty stepped back as her monster reared up, twisting himself out of the water. "We're looking for Lorelei Prima," she admitted, "Any idea where she might be?"

Leaf gave another, non-committal hum. "Let's see…" She bit her lip, twirling around slightly, "She's an ice trainer, right? Last registered Pokémon were a Cloyster and Lapras and Dewgong. She'd want water… right?"

Misty felt her mouth curl into a smile, "So we're looking at the coast," she turned back to Gyarados, "See why we need you? You can surf us around all there. Or fly." Behind her, water sparkling and dripping of his scales, her water and flying type was rearing out of the water. His body twisted as a ripple passed along his scales, scattering ice cold droplets everywhere. Then his fin came out of the water, as the generic, water type Pokémon hovered just above the pool, twisting through the air like Lance's Dragonair.

Well it was a flying type, Misty mused, as her Pokémon swam through the air. Even if it usually made its home in the water they had classified it as a flying type for a reason.

Leaf's smile dropped slightly as she watched the atrocious Pokémon hover in the air. "Uh… I… don't like flying."

Misty blinked, "Right, sorry. I forgot you were scared of birds."

The brunette pouted, "I am _not_," she complained. "I just don't like heights," she invented.

The red head nodded, "Sure, sure. We should have a look at that map Gary had – and see if there are any other gears we could possibly pick up while cruising around the coast."

Leaf nodded, looking thoughtful, "Yeah…hmmm…about that…" she frowned, and put one finger up to her cheek, her eyes lighting up. "I might have an idea," she muttered, before brightening up and skipping off with a "Come on Jiggly! Meet you up at my office Misty!" vanishing before the red head could speak.

Turquoise eyes blinked. "Why am I scared, all of a sudden?"

* * *

><p><strong>[10:34AM] – 22<strong>**rd**** May – Cerulean Cave – Cerulean SECTION ****Base – Leaf's Office - Leaf/Misty/Gary**

"Okay so what's this plan of your?" Misty demanded, rocking her weight back and crossing her arms as she narrowed her sea green eyes at Leaf.

The brunette glanced up from where she was pouring over a map. Blue eyes blinked then pushed it towards Misty, smirking, "Take a look at this. The locations of…guess what?"

Misty's jaw dropped open, "No way. All of them?"

Gary shook his spiky brown hair, "One isn't on the map. It could be in Orre. It could be in Hoenn. It could be in Unova. There's one apparently in Johto and one on Mount Coronet in the Sinnoh region. We…" he coughed, "We're hoping that this guy… Shadow has picked them up already."

Leaf shot her boyfriend a strange look. Gary ignored her, handing Misty a piece of paper, "The locations are circle on the map," he told her. "Here's a list."

Misty's eyes flickered to the single circle in Blackthorn City, then upwards to the one on Mount Coronet. Then there was a dot hovering in the blank space on the edge of the map with a scribble Orre was written.

Gary continued talking, "May and Dawn are looking into the location of Temporal Tower. That is, if the place even exists. All they have to go on it the place where the sun died. They're looking west ward."

The Cerulean gym leader turned to list of places. She winced at the sight of Pallet Town. Pallet Ruins more like. There wasn't much of a town left now.

Misty scanned over the names again, before reading them out. "Pallet Town, Power Station, Cinnabar Island, Cerulean Cape, Vermillion Bay, Viridian Forest, Mount Silver, Diglett Tunnel, Rock Tunnel, Victory Caves, Indigo Plateau, Fuchsia Marsh, Seafoam Islands, Lavender Town." She sighed stealing the pencil Leaf had been chewing on and making amendments to the list. "Lavender, Fuchsia, and Rock Tunnel are Team strongholds. Not including the out of region ones and the two we already have, which leaves…" she counted the numbers up for a moment, "Nine potential gears to collect." She sighed, slumping down in a nearby chair, grabbing the map with the circles on and staring at it.

Leaf winced, "I figured," she spoke quietly, "If we split up we could collect more quickly." She shrugged, "I don't mind."

Misty's finger traced the Kanto coastline. "The cape," she muttered, "I'd have to avoid Lavender… and Fuchsia… then I could search Cinnibar and Seafoam ending up in Pallet. I could meet up with the Viridian Team on Route 22." She concluded, nodding determinedly, "That's my path. Checking out all the water locations."

"What if Lorelei isn't there?" Gary voiced her worries.

She closed her eyes, "She was born in Sevii wasn't she? Then we'd have to go south. The Team left the islands pretty much alone. It should be okay. But it's so hard getting transport there I figure we should look closer to home first."

"She had a Lapras," Gary pointed out, "The Transport Pokémon? Hello? She shouldn't have trouble getting anywhere."

Misty winced, "If I follow the coast around with Gyrados we'll get a pretty good impression of where she can or cannot go."

The brunette sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair. "And what about you Green?" he asked.

Said _Green_ looked slightly miffed by the nickname but she bit her lip. "I… don't know. I think we should split up… but…"

The Cerulean Gym Leader blinked, staring at the map, "Hey. How about you back with Gary?"

"What?"

"Why?"

Misty laid the map on the table, pointing to their Mount Moon base. "You can easily hop across to Diglett's tunnel, right?"

The Viridian Gym leader smirked, catching on, "You get into the Tunnel you can cross_ underneath_ Kanto. While Misty's circling around you come up in Vermillion. I'm sure you can find someone there to help you. What do you say?"

Leaf blinked, looking slightly put out but the idea seemed to be catching on. Her eyes lit up. "You know what?" she asked.

Misty and Gary exchanged a pair of useless glances. "What?"

"Let's go hunting Time Gears!"

Misty felt a smile beginning to creep up on her face. She hadn't felt this happy in _years_. To be actually_ doing s_omething…

Really, the brunette's hyperactivity and enthusiasm was addictive.

* * *

><p><em>AN – Another chapter up. I hope you enjoy it but it is just a filler with information. I have a better idea of the plot now so hopefully the action will pick up.<em>

_In regard to Professor Oak and Ash's Mom (Delia) - "If he's not there then he'll be in Pallet with his grandfather." That's the quote from the first chapter (The sun never rises), referring to where Gary is. From this chapter and the Pallet 'Ruins' suggests it isn't there anymore (including the people). By implying that Gary is with his grandfather who typically resides in Pallet Town, the guy's implying that Gary is dead along with his grandfather. I don't think there are any other false mentions of this but if there are then please feel free to point them out._

_~ Eclipse_


	10. Behind Locked Doors

**Chapter 10 – Behind Locked Doors**

"_Close every door to me. Hide all, the world from me. Bar all my windows and shut out the light. Keep those I love from me, hate me and laugh at me."_ Close Every Door, Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat

* * *

><p><strong>[7:15AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Silph Co. Main Entrance – South – Ash**

He strode through the entrance hall filled with dead and mostly dead rockets in a manner, faintly reminiscent of his appearance up at the League. Lucario was behind him, blocking up the door with whatever they could find which currently involved a large fridge from the rocket's snack room.

The raven glanced absentmindedly at his watch, as the second hand flickered up to number twelve. As if on cue the lights above him flickered and died. "Hmm," he hummed, "Seems they have a horribly good sense of timing," he mused, grey eyes taking in the various corridors and passages leading of the main reception area.

"Which one?" he asked Luca, the black jackal now pushing a statue of Giovanni in front of the door.

The dog grunted, _"I'm the one doing all the slave labour here! You can make your own decision!"_

Ash gave him a lopsided smirk, "Sorry," he muttered, having the guilt enough to look sheepish. "We'll head straight there and meet the others. Sound good?"

"Cario Carr," the jackal rolled his eyes, standing up straight and dusting his paws of as he ran up to his master. "RioLucarr." (Sure, whatever, let's just go.)

Ash nodded, glancing briefly at the corridors leading west and east before shrugging. "They can handle it," he reassured himself, setting off at a run north.

Really the various arrows around the place directing him _were_ very helpful.

* * *

><p><strong>[7:15AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – West Wing of Silph Co. – Erika/Zo/Sabrina**

As the base was plunged into darkness Zo punched the air in glee, "They got it!" she crowed, dancing out of the way of several gunshots that whipped past her head.

Sabrina snarled silently, the bands on her wrist glowing purple as the bullets stopped inches from her. She lashed out with one hand, knocking the approaching rockets back with her psychic power. "Let's just concentrate on getting to the vaults," she hissed, her dark blue hair falling in her eyes, "We can't wander around here forever!"

The whip of an arrow echoed around the corridor as Erika shot of a deadly volley at the men. "Which way o' great psychic master?" she asked, mockingly, eyes alight with the heat of battle.

"North." Sabrina knocked away another pair of rockets, one of which was coughing up bile, a light graze across his temple showing where he was hit with one of Erika's arrows.

The purple haired human fox smirked, her form condensing into a purple cloud as from it, as the small purple Zorua leapt up. "This way!" she cried, racing away.

The Celadon and Saffron gym leaders shared a look of insufferable difference.

"Damn dark types," Sabrina cursed.

* * *

><p><strong>[7:15AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – West Wing of Silph Co. – Generator Room – Va & Rai **_**(Please note – Pokéspeech will be temporarily translated)**_

A tattered black eared Eevee opened its eye. "Uh…" she gazed around herself at the room.

Remains of the room.

"Uh Rai?" she spoke, hesitantly. "We might have overdone it…slightly."

The orange mouse winced. "Sorry," he muttered. "Well now we know at least why Jessie, James and Meowth also ended up being blasted up into the sky." He chuckled, "And here I always thought it was because they were Rockets."

The fox threw a shadow ball at him, making him wince again "Shut up! We have to find the others – meet them at the vault. And this time _I'm leading!"_

Rai followed Va, grumbling to himself. The Eevee's form shimmered as she morphed into her favourite form of a Vaporeon.

Her genetic DNA had always been unstable. It was the characteristic of an Eevee. An unstable genetic code that when exposed to a fire stone resulted in a Flareon, when exposed to a water stone resulted in a Vaporeon, and when exposed to a thunderstone resulted in a Jolteon. Should an Eevee evolve in daylight, she would traditionally evolve into an Espeon and similarly at night - an Umbreon. Near fragments of a very rare ice rock, she could become a Glaceon and near fragments of a moss rock – a Leafeon.

And she… if the other Eevee's already had unstable genetic codes then hers was positively rickety. Yet she had still remained an Eevee.

They had been fed up. So horribly fed up and sick of everything. She had been locked away, a small lost fox in a Team Rocket lab.

Then he came.

She had clung to him like glue, a ray of light and hope and aura that called to her blood. He had been her friend, first and foremost, and then her trainer. Ash, even when he had no clue of self, and even when he discovered his memories, still continued to care for her.

The League had been overconfident back then. A group of agents were sent in to join the Team. She and her trainer had been included in that foolish (oh so foolish) plan.

It had, inevitably failed. The traitors were found and killed or captured. Their Pokémon were taken to Lavender Town to be broken into the rocket regime, or used as experiments by the new mad scientist they had managed to get their filthy hands on.

They hadn't recognised her (Thank Arceus) – she was just another nameless Eevee among a group of Pokémon.

Previous experiments regarding her species had failed. They were tiring quickly and were trying the impossible – to create a new evolution for her kind.

The Vaporeon winced at the memories, shaking them from her mind. Whoever had thought throwing an Eevee into a vat of toxic poison and sludge was a good idea obviously had been dropped on their head one too many times as a baby.

Her already rickety unstable genetic code couldn't handle it. Under none of the usual stimuli, it was forced to change, to keep her alive. Under none of the usual stimuli it couldn't decide which to evolve her into.

So it chose them all.

She wasn't a success. She was just a Vaporeon after all.

They tossed her out, the poor little failure, half dead and poisoned half to death.

Then he came.

Again.

History did love to repeat itself.

The pair skidded around the corner, Rai almost skidding into her but he stepped forward at the last second. "North, right?" he asked.

She nodded. "Race ya'," she challenged.

He smirked, "You're on."

* * *

><p><strong>[7:15AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – East Wing of Silph Co. – Lance**

Petrol stopped, a few feet from the door as the lights in the complex completely died. Behind him Archer swore violently.

The woman made an approving noise, "They're clever at the very least," she admitted, "They go for the power - we can't track them. The locks are broken and the men are in the dark."

Petrol narrowed his eyes, "What are they going for?"

In the supply closet, Lance subtly moved, blocking out the light from his softly glowing dragon. Damn. If only he could get through a phone call to tell May or Dawn what moves actually worked on reviving Pokéballs.

A glitter of red light appeared as there was a quiet cracking noise. The figure emerged silently, solidifying into form. "Chikor?" (Hello?)

The footsteps outside his door receded as Lance bent down to examine the small thing. "Hush. I'm Lance. You were trapped in your Pokéball."

The small green Johto started blinked at him, "Ri? Chikori?" (You're getting me out?)

Lance stood, moving closer to the crack in the door to listen to the elites.

Archer was shaking his head, "We could." He said in response to something Petrol had told him, "Or we could get out of here and have nothing to do with it."

There was a pause.

The three Team elites nodded in unison, "Yeah, that's for the best."

As it was, they didn't get much choice in the matter as there was a loud growl and a crackle of lightning and a curse from Petrol.

Lance took a risk, scooping up the Chikorita and another two Pokéballs, stuffing them in his pocket as he leapt out of the supply closet.

He was met with an alarming sight.

A black cloaked Ash stood, a blue blade of aura pressing Archer against a wall while Lucario stood with a bone staff in front of the other two. From the other intersection, Vaporeon and Raichu had appeared, and they stood tensed in the hallway, lightning crackling and the Vaporeon's form fogging slightly around the edges.

Heads snapped around to look at him as the Chikorita in his arms gave a loud squeak.

There was silence for a few moments before Ash stepped backwards, blade dissolving. "Archer," he acknowledged with a curt nod.

Said man in question looked like he'd just seen a ghost and Adrianna was choking on air behind him.

"Wh-How-Where-Why-Wha-" he couldn't get the question out.

The raven narrowed his eyes which were now a blood red, stepping back towards Lance, "I trust Giovanni won't hear of this."

The blue haired man's mouth snapped shut and his head shook. A small smile crept onto his lips.

Ash stared at the trio once more before calling to Lucario. _"Let them go."_

"Rio," the jackal snorted, his aura appendages glowing blue as he stepped backwards, the bone rush dissolving into pretty sparkles. For a moment, the three Team Elites stood there, staring at Ash, eyes flickering around to Lance and then back. Their faces contained a mix between fear and shock and confusion, although Lance thought he saw a little mirth in their expressions to.

Petrol was the first to move, making a mocking saluting with his hand, "Sure thing bosso. We weren't here anyway, were we?" he elbowed Arianna.

The red haired woman shook her head. "No." she denied. "We'll be off then. Nice seeing you and all that crap." Without another word she stalked off down the passage, Petrol trailing after her, shooting them another glance over his shoulder.

Archer still appeared at loss for words so he simply swallowed, holding one hand to his brow following his companions. Unlike Petrol, he didn't look back.

Lance stared after them before turning to Ash.

"What the _hell _was all that about?"

* * *

><p><strong>[7:20AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Silph. Co West corridors – Basement Level – Sabrina/ Erika/Zo**

"We're running pretty promptly," the Saffron gym leader commented as they turned the corner. Having descended the stairs the number of rocket grunts had decreased and the number of random scientists and cleaners had increased slightly. Most of them dived into storage cupboard, hiding from them but some tried to stop them, only to be knocked aside.

They paused at a four way intersection. "Which way now?" Zo asked, the fox blinking

Sabrina frowned, closing her eyes. Her wristbands shimmered slightly, engulfed in a faint pink light. "Straight," she told them, her eyes still closed, eyelashes fluttering slightly. Then they flickered open glowing an eerie purple which faded, drawn back into her dark blue grey depths.

Erika was already half-way down the corridor, led forward by determination and a burning vengeance.

She had to do something.

For _years_ she had been trapped, imprisoned, and unable to do _anything _as her own gym, her own city _(her world)_ and all she ever knew was lost and torn to shreds. And when it burned to the ground _(burned in fire and flames and ash and anger)_ and she was _free (as a bird, but she never had wings to start with) _and she was lost in the strange new world _(but free, and that was so much better than not)_.

They would pay. The oppressors. The criminals. The murderers.

She would find…somewhere… somehow… her light in this world. She would find peace at the end of the suffering.

But first she had to deal with getting the world back to normal.

Yeah. Easier said than done.

She let out a shallow laugh as she notched another poison tipped arrow to her bow, raising it as they came to a corner, voices drifting around it.

"So you're _friends_ with them?"

Next to her, Sabrina and Zo slowed to a halt at the approaching footsteps.

"_No,_ they just listen to what I say."

"Since when? When are they 'friends' with anybody?"

Zo's purple-black ears pricked up and she bounded around the corner at the same moment Sabrina gently pushed Erika's arrow towards the ground.

"Since it's useful to them."

There was an audible growl of annoyance and a chirp of amusement.

"Stop avoiding answers!"

"Stop asking questions."

The Celadon gym leader blinked as the two elites skidded around the corners. The raven's eyes flashed green with relief, although whether it was from seeing that they were safe or whether he had an excuse to avoid any more pestering questions, it was hard to tell.

Erika was distracted as Va and Rai appeared, skidding slightly on the shiny floor, a small green Pokémon trying in vain to keep up with them. Her eyes widened, and a small noise escaped her, an audible 'aww' as she knealt down to greet the little thing.

The small green herb Pokémon blinked its large green yellow eyes at her, and then squeaked happily as it bounded forwards. It bounded happily into the grass trainers arms and Erika picked it up, cuddling it to her.

Ash turned to Lance with a frown, "Oh, yeah, that's another thing. What _were_ you doing hiding in a cupboard?"

The red head ignored him, mainly because Sabrina had glided past him, raiding his pockets of the two Pokéballs he had filched. "How did you get them working?" she queried, turning them this way and that as she examined them.

Lance smirked, and the dragon that was wrapped around his neck slid down to his arm. "Dratini uses a mixture of safeguard, thunder wave and dragon pulse. It cracks the lock on them."

One eyebrow raised slightly as the psychic gym leader looked at him. If Erika didn't know any better she'd say Sabrina looked mildly impressed. "The safeguard keeps the Pokémon safe. The thunder wave activates the electronics. And the dragon wave meshes it together overcoming the time block." She nodded, "Not bad. You didn't manage to nick any more, did you?"

He shook his head ruefully.

"KorRita!" the Chikorita in Erika's arms chirped.

Said girl looked at the small green Pokémon, "Say? Want to come along with me?"

The herb leafed Johto starter nodded its head enthusiastically, green eyes blinking cheerfully. Erika smiled, "Great!"

"VaPri! Vi Vi Apri Reon Eon!" (Come on! Let's move it people!) the water fox pranced up and down. Raichu was standing just behind her, his tail slicking from side to side as his cheeks crackled impatiently with electricity.

Ash nodded, "We need to keep moving. Now."

If that wasn't added incentive, the pounding of feet behind them started the group into moving quickly, Raichu and Vaporeon racing out ahead, skidding around corners.

"PriaEonEe," (I'm still leading the way) the fox spat.

The mouse rolled his eyes, "RaiAi." (Whatever)

Behind them were the four humans, Lucario and Zorua just behind and Chikorita in Erika's arms. There was a shimmer, similar to a heat wave as Vaporeon morphed into a Jolteon, one paw reaching up to an electronic door pad, sparkles of electricity racing up her arm. The numerical pad blinked feebly, faint green numbers flashing on the screen as it gave a small whine of approval as the bland, grey metallic door slid open. It matched the rest of the dull, stark grey and blue passage, broken up by regular white doors.

The raven hung back on the other side of the threshold, his eyes flittering into blue as he passed lastly into the new room, a small ten inch blade of shimmering, dark blue-black aura slashing across the control panel. His hand darted across the gap as the door whined in protest, slamming shut with a loud sound, blocking out the rest of the base. It didn't take long for the curses and banging on the other side of the door to start, and the dead man hung around only long enough to check the door was properly sealed, before following Zo down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

The staircase rounded on itself, dark shadows against black walls. The glowing needles of Jolteon's coat and Raichu's tail illuminated the walls, making them dance with strange, shadowed images. The small Chikorita looked around nervously, but after some comforting from Erika, allowed itself to be placed on the floor where it padded along silently, next to Lance's leg.

"Where now?" Lance asked, "Sabrina?"

The Saffron gym leader frowned, "It wasn't on the blue prints. This is the vault. I don't see anything though."

Barely visible against the darkness, the black Lucario stepped forwards, his creamy white chest looking like a beam of light in the darkness and his red eyes glowing slightly. _"The gears are here."_ He paused, looking down the seemingly endless corridor.

The psychic gym leader shivered. Something about the pair, the Lucario and his trainer gave her the creeps. Her psychic abilities negated any living item, linking to the mental power that ran through their world. Four years ago the gentle living humming background noise, that she had never taken any notice of had stopped, motionless, not moving and ground to a halt.

She had never realised that the planet had a voice before that.

Maybe it was Arceus, she wondered, or one of the great deities who had died, frozen and paralysed by the lack of movement in pasts and futures alike.

There was only the present.

And that never seemed to end.

She was startled out of her revere by a loud growl from the black jackal as he bounded in quick, deft steps, paws hanging at his side. Ash paused only to roll his eyes before he took off after the Pokémon, cursing under his breath.

Erika and Zo watched them go, the fox sighing. "Do you think we can just wait here until they come back?" she asked, hopefully.

Sabrina resolved to give the dark type a lecture of tempting fate, as the door a floor above them that they had left, creaked ominously under what sounded like a flamethrower and earthquake. The blue haired woman held a hand to her head, holding off the impeding headache. "Let's just… go. We need him to teleport out anyway."

Lance huffed, "You saying we were only here as back up for the rockets?" he asked.

Erika began after Ash, her new Pokémon skipping at her heels. "Your point? We got to kill some of the bastards. That's better than sitting around doing _nothing_ in a freaky gym filled with spoons."

Sabrina took a moment to realise that the brown haired girl had just insulted her gym. She frowned, but the woman in question was already half way down the corridor. "Hey! Celadon! Wait up!" she made after them.

Zo gave Lance a mournful look. "There are days I just wish I'd slept in," the fox admitted, before leaping forwards, shimmering with a purple light as she made her way after the others.

* * *

><p><strong>[7:36AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Silph. Co Second Basement Level – Vaults**

Lucario spun around, a fierce growl twisting its way out of his jaws as he slammed his force palm glowing hand into the wall. The brick crumbled slightly, smoking and with renewed vigour he slammed a close combat into it.

The dust got in his eyes and made him cough, a low, barking sound. In his one paw he formed a bluish black sphere, stepping back and eyeing the myriad of cracks that crept along the russet grey bricks barely visible under the plaster. In his left paw, the sphere grew larger.

"CarrRio!" he snarled, bringing his glowing, close combat aura imbued paw and aura sphere towards the weakest point in the wall, the point where all the thin, hairline fractures met. The breaking point.

Under the impact the whole wall shuddered, and Luca was relieved to see the brick his paw had impacted upon crumble into fragments.

"Need a hand?"

He jumped slightly; startled that he hadn't even noticed his trainer sneak up on him. _"It would be helpful."_ He growled a force palm already forming on his hand, glowing faintly pink. He slammed it into the wall again, and seconds later a black aura sphere joined it. Under the combined stress, the wall creaked and the bricks cracked, shattered fragments of sand crumbling down.

Ash kicked it experimentally with a foot, knocking aside loose rubble as he ducked through the fair sized hole. His eyes flickered to a pale brown as he glanced back at his Lucario. "Jackpot." He smirked, vanishing as he made a beeline for his treasure.

The pattering of footsteps alerted him to the others approaching.

Sabrina sniffed, "Did you really have to make such a mess?"

The black jackal shrugged, as Rai stalked up, "AiAiChuKaa Rai RaiAi," (You don't half do a job properly) he commented as he surveyed the jagged hole in the wall.

There was a flash of movement and Ash reappeared triumphantly, a large smirk on his face. "Would you look what I found," he crowed, the glint of a grey and purple shape in his right hand, while his left was pulling up his hood, cloaking his face in shadow.

There were footsteps as Lance and Erika appeared, the former panting heavily, "Arceus… I'm…out…of shape…" he breathed heavily between each phrase. "We all clear now?" he said, leaning against the wall.

Zo and Va were circling around each other, agitatedly. _"We need to get out of here!"_

"_Now!"_

In response, their trainer stiffened, eyes focussed on the corridor. "Damn." He cursed. "I'd hoped we'd have more time." Blue eyes flickered to the group, "I'd try to teleport you all out of here but I don't know if I can do a group. Pairs maybe…but…damn dark.."

Lance frowned, "I thought your Pokémon could teleport." he said in disbelief, interrupting.

The raven shook his spiky hair, "They just follow my wormhole." He closed his eyes, as if praying for an idea to appear before him.

There were shouts from around the corner and Lance rolled his eyes, standing and pulling Erika with him, "Let's get out of here," the red head snarled, "Now. Come on you're the teleporter here!"

Ash's eyes flashed open, blood red, "I can't!" he hissed in response.

"Why not?"

"There's some sort of blocking signal."

"Really?"

Lance looked genuinely interested for a moment, opening his mouth to ask another question when Erika snapped at the pair.

"Will you just stop arguing?"

To her never ending amusement the two men fell silent, looking at her slightly sheepishly. The brunette blinked before turning to whisper in Sabrina's ear, "I didn't think that would work."

The raven overheard, and he rolled his eyes, "I _can't _teleport around the base_ if you'd just been listening _because the signal mucks it all up!" He growled, "We have to head this way," he muttered, gesturing to left down the corridor, the opposite side from the rockets.

Zo whined, "More running," she sighed, "Race ya'" she muttered with as much enthusiasm as a Slowpoke as she started off jogging slowly down the corridor.

Sabrina nodded as she recalled the blueprints. "He's right." She told Lance. The champion frowned.

Ash looked like he was about to make a comment but he obviously thought better of it, instead looking past Erika at the corridor where he knew rockets were approaching. Erika headed after Va, moving down the corridor.

Lance frowned at the raven haired man. Yeah, Ash was right.

Ash was always right.

Why did that annoy him so much?

* * *

><p><strong>[7:42AM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Saffron City – Silph. Co Second Basement Level – Vaults**

They managed to make their way down one corridor and around several corners as it started angling upwards. They were now moving up a steady incline when Ash paused and Sabrina's eyes lit up triumphantly.

"The signal's lessened. Come on! Let's get out of here." She declared.

"What? Now?"

"Yes. Now. Or we're rocket meat."

The ever increasing thundering footsteps behind them, made Ash take the psychic's words to heart, grabbing hold of the Celadon gym leader and the champion while Sabrina latched onto Erika's arms. The small Chikorita perched on her shoulder let out a plaintive chirp and Dratini protested mildly, the last sound that was heard before the whole surrounding world blurred violently.

Teleportation, in Lance's mind, was a lot like an airborne fight on a Dragonite flying over in circles, except there was nothing to hold onto as you were thrown violently around and about. He was surrounded by black, with flashes of images and places lighting up like pictures beamed onto the shadows, vanishing as quickly as they appeared.

Then with a violent start, as quickly as it had started, his limbs felt heavy and he found himself heading for a headlong collision with their concreted road in Saffron City, somewhere outside the Pokémon Centre he had been running past earlier the day before.

"Damn it!" Ash stumbled slightly, biting his lip, eyes closing as he fell to his knees, clutching his hooded head. "Something interrupted the jump."

Around him, the others in the group looked similarly nauseous.

The four of Ash's Pokémon were more organised, Raichu leaping up to his perch on his master's shoulder which he somehow managed to maintain, despite his precarious position, while Lucario stood at his side. Va (currently an Umbreon) and Zo were crouched, hackles raised as they spun around, looking both directions up the street.

The remaining two Pokémon looked slightly ill, the green herb leaf Pokémon cuddled up to Erika, eyes tightly closed. The baby dragon was still wrapped around the red head's neck, looking and awful lot like a scarf he had decided to don for the day's excursions.

"We have to leave the city," Ash blinked, trying to stop the world from violently spinning.

Sabrina looked up sharply at this, "Now?" a tone of exasperation creeping into her voice.

Zo turned around, chasing her tail anxiously, "They'll scourge through the city until they find you and face it - you're not doing any good here!"

"But…" the strict psychic looked frantic with worry for a moment, crumbling under the pressure before pulling it together, "I'm swinging by the gym to pick up Mime and Zam."

"I'll come to…" Lance struggled to his feet, even as there was a flash of blue above him and he looked up to see his Dragonair swooping down.

"AiraiDragagDra." She chirped softly, nuzzling him. Her deep blue eyes flickered over to Ash and the raven spun around, frowning as the two shared some sort of silent communications.

The ex-champion cursed.

"Bad?" Zo breathed.

"How many damn Rockets are there?" Ash threw up his hands in frustration, spinning around once before turning to the other three humans. Erika was still kneeling on the floor, holding the Johto starter to her chest. "We've got Team members sealing of the exits and heading this way. Your Dragonite is clearing a path to the southern exit for you. If you, Erika and Sabrina head to the Vermillion Route you can get away."

Eyes narrowed, "And you?"

The raven didn't answer, even as the dark fox used thief on Lance, stealing the two Pokéballs from his pocket with a muffled protest from the man in question. "Unseal them," he said, tossing one to the man, "You'll need all the help you can get."

Wordlessly Lance did as bid, letting his littlest dragon unseal them. They cracked open and the red light seeped out of one, while the other just flipped open.

Sabrina let out a dry chuckle, "Looks like you picked up an empty Pokéball there," she pointed to the empty capsule.

The other form stayed small, condensing quickly into a little yellow mouse.

"Pichu?" (Huh?)

Sabrina glared daggers at the champion, "Brilliant choice," she snapped, "Just brilliant!"

Erika frowned, holding out a hand for the lost little baby, "Don't be harsh," he chided the Saffron gym leader who still looked startled that the quiet little Celedon leader was growing a backbone. "Here little guy." She cooed softly.

"What's up with his ear?" Lance frowned.

Sabrina crossed her arms, "Can we admire the baby Pichu another time? I need to collect my Pokémon and we need to get out of this thrice cursed city!"

There was a pause as they turned to look to the leader of their little expedition who was currently nowhere in sight. His four Pokémon had vanished as well.

"He didn't."

"He did."

"No way."

"Seriously?"

"Now?"

"How did we not notice him vanishing like that?"

Erika coaxed the little mouse onto her other shoulder where the Chikorita promptly began a conversation of soft coos and chirps with the electric type. "I'll go after him," she volunteered.

Both the champion and psychic looked like they were about to argue, to Erika followed Ash's example and took of a sprint down one of the west-east running streets. Quite why everything was north-south or west-east still puzzled her but it made navigation around the city far easier.

Lance stared after Erika for a few dumb moments before Sabrina yanked him to his feet. His briefly thought that it was all very well grabbing the Pokéballs and taking them time to cart them around when he didn't end up receiving any of the Pokémon - then he was ducking under heavy gunfire.

He followed Sabrina down an alleyway leading to the next road and they had to skid to a halt to avoid crashing into more patrolling rockets. "This way," she snapped, knocking the men backwards without a glance and the champion made a note not to get on her bad side.

A flash of green and blue and he caught sight of Ash and Erika a few streets down, fighting. The raven looked like he was drenched in blood and oblivious to everything around him, even the equally saturated Erika a few metres away. Lance blinked, not quite understanding the odd pair before he rounded the corner, racing towards the gym, even as he realised it probably wasn't blood but more like some sort of pokemon attack.

"Arceus! Saffron is a minefield!" he cursed, "There's no end to them," just in time for yet another group of rockets to come careening around the corner. With rising sorrows he noted the red and purple hair and the weird walking cat, just as Dragonair released a hyper beam.

They screamed rather oddly too, he mused, as Sabrina reunited with her Mime and Alakazam. If he listened hard enough, it was almost as if they were shouting…

No… it couldn't be.

Maybe he was hearing things.

* * *

><p><em>AN ~ So? What do ya' think? They finally got the gears and got out of Saffron! Next chapter - an overview of the various characters and what they're doing and a new mission for our heroes!<em>

_My internet has been down since we've been moving and this is the first time I could get this chapter up. Apologies._

_Hope you enjoyed it ~ Eclipse_


	11. For Whom The Bells Toll

**Chapter 11 – For whom the bells toll**

"_Let them hate, so long as they fear."_

* * *

><p><strong>[12:00PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Kanto Region**

The bells of Lavender Tower rang out midday over the Kanto region. The echoed ominously, tolling the time, even when the world was silent, holding its breath. Still the clouds hung grey and oppressing in the monotone sky, shifting but the storm never breaking.

The wind was quiet; it picked up occasionally, but died down just as quickly, a faded whisper. Now it breathed just enough to carry the sound of the bells out across the country. People shivered and Pokémon whimpered in fright, down whatever hole or burrow they had found to bear out this tragedy.

She cooed softly, golden eyes sad as she danced among the clouds, soft, gentle mourning for the frozen world. She could sense the stirrings across the land, the legendary titans that were worshipped so by the people – her people.

Then a flicker of red and white and blue and she was gone - lost among the ethereal clouds, as the bells rang out across the land.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:00PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Route 6 – South of Saffron City – Sabrina/Lance & Pokémon (Mr Mime, Alakazam, Dratini, Dragonair, Dragonite)**

The psychic shivered at the ghostly pealing. The soft chattering of her Mr Mime died to nothing in the still air, even as a breeze blew, warm heat rising from the ground and cool breeze colliding in a fierce battle.

"Something's wrong." Lance said quietly.

"Everything's wrong." Sabrina replied.

He shivered, wrapping his cloak tightly around his shoulders. Another toll rang out and his footsteps increased ever so slightly, barely perceptible as the pair headed for the electric port. "Do you reckon Erika and Ash are all right?"

Another peal and the gym leader flinched. "Sure. He's dead and she's chasing shadows. They'll be fine." – a humourless laugh.

Lance winced. "So tell me again why we're going to find Surge?" he asked.

The Saffron leader rolled her eyes, "I really don't know. I really don't know. If he asks – it was your idea."

"I need a good shock."

"That was a terrible pun."

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't mean it?"

"…"

"I thought not."

* * *

><p><strong>[12:00PM] – 22<strong>**rd**** May – Route 4 – West of Cerulean City – Leaf/Gary & Pokémon (****Ditto, Jigglypuff, Clefable, Umbreon)**

Up north they could barely hear the soft chimes, but something in the air still set the hairs on the back of Gary's neck on edge. He tightened his grip on his girlfriend's hand, even as Umbreon's hackles rose.

"Are you okay?" the brunette asked.

"Sure, sure fine – no need to worry." He bit his lip.

Leaf shook her hair out, smiling slightly, "You know things are bad when you start to quote Dawn," she teased him and the spiky haired researcher looked horrified by the thought of it.

He gave a noncommittal hum, tuning out the soft chimes on the breeze. "Is it me or do bells signify death?"

Leaf glanced at him, "That's strange. Well…death, funerals, weddings…" she paused, trying to think of something else and turned her head away to focus on Umbreon who was letting his yellow rings flash on and off, slowly and matching the slow ringing of the bells.

"Death." Gary sighed, completely missing the wedding reference Leaf had unwittingly made, "I don't like it."

Leaf leaned into him, "Does anybody? I don't think it's a matter of like or dislike…more a matter of being scared. People don't know what's going to happen and they're scared and fearful of the unknown. Just like when we were kids and I was afraid of the dark. We don't know what's hiding there, out of reach and so we run away and hide, under our blankets of comfort. It's what makes us human."

Gary blinked, "When did you get so wise?"

"I always have been. You've just got stupider."

He winced. He'd been asking for that.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:00PM] – 22<strong>**rd**** May – Route 25 – Cerulean Cape – Misty & Pokémon (Gyrados, Golduck)**

The red head closed her eyes as the wind buffeted her face and soft music rang in her ears. It was comfortingly eerie, haunting and there was something dark about the slow, melodic tones on the winds.

Ignoring the barely audible sound she moved down the cliff, wincing as loose stones plummeted to the still sea, far below. They hit the water with a small chime, matching the ringing ball in the distance. Tightening her hold on the sea grass, she edged further down the cliff to where her newly evolved duck and sea monster waited.

Sure, Gyrados was a flying type and he didn't do half badly in air, but he was a sea serpent and the way his body flexed and the water rippled of his muscles Misty knew he was made for the sea.

She inched closer to him, and he reared up his head, closing the gap. Almost ominously another chime tolled out as more pebbles fell, plummeting to the eerily silent ocean below.

It was unnatural, the stillness in the waves, and the way some were reared back, as if striking a blow that would never fall, the wave suspended in mid-air. As she descended another metre down the rocky cliff, she watched as the shifted slightly, slowly and as if someone had slowed down the whole scene.

Then her reaching hand touched scales and she tightened her grip around her Pokémon's great, but terrible head.

Then she threw herself off the cliff.

And into the unknown.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:00PM] – 22<strong>**rd**** May – Pewter City – Mount Moon SECTION Base – Dawn/Brock (****Kabutops, Piplup, Buneary)**

She stared at the colourful map of Kanto spread out before her, with multiple little clusters of pins stuck in it. She shivered as the light above her flickered, regular flashes, as if in time to some unheard beat.

The dark blue pins are the Team, right?" the tanned man asked, eyes flickering from Viridian to Celadon to Saffron to Lavender and down to Fuchsia.

The blunette nodded, as the light dimmed and grew lighter again. "We're the pink and the League is orange." She gestured to a little pink cluster just off set from Viridian City and around to a mix of pink and orange near Pewter, pink off set from Cerulean and a mix again in Vermillion.

Her blue penguin danced across the map, chirping softly. Dawn pointed out several other pins to Brock. "The white are the elites. We've got Agatha in Mount Moon, Bruno and Karen here, Koga and Will in Viridian, and Lance and…_him_ in Saffron at last notice."

"I got a report from Lance. He and Sabrina are heading south to Vermillion."

Obediently, Dawn picked up the small, tagged white pin and the nearby yellow pin ("Yellow are gym leaders.") moving them to Route 6. She gestured to the yellow pin. "Sabrina." In Vermillion, "Lt Surge." Moving back to Saffron, "Apparently Erika's up there with…_him_. Misty's leaving from Cerulean Cape while Gary's heading back here. The green pin is Leaf. We don't know where Blaine is or Janine are so their pins are stuck on the edge." She indicated to the edge of the map while simultaneously counting down on her fingers. "You're here and me and May have green pins."

"It's not official." She admitted, "There's another map somewhere with approximate numbers. But it's just comforting…knowing where everybody is."

Brock laid a hand reassuringly on her shoulder as she continued.

"It feels like this is all building up to something. As if we're counting down to some giant final battle. It feels like we're running out of time." She shivered. "I'm scared." She admitted, looking at the chaotic swirl of colours of the board before her, their paths laid out for all to see.

But what can you ever see?

The light bulb flickered and died.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:00PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Route 2 – North Viridian City – May & Pokémon (Ninetales, Glaceon)**

The leafy fringes of Viridian Forest were horrible silent and on the distance May frowned. For a moment…just a moment…she had thought she heard bells, pealing out across the land.

Must have been her imagination.

Things were different now. Ash was here…Ash was _alive..._ if still in a dead sort of way. Her small Viridian base was slightly off the map, away from the action and away from her friends. Sure, they needed her back in Viridian, but Max could survive without her.

Her Glaceon trotted happily at her feet, letting out a cry that sounded like ice crystals, or clear crystal bells. "GlaCeo Eo LaLaCeon." (I'm glad we're finally moving.)

Ash was alive. She had been up the night, talking to him and Lance. It seemed like a cruel twist of fate to shove him back into their lives before time moved on without him. Few knew. That had been his intention, but the fact that Gary, Dawn, Lance, Brock _and_ May knew probably wasn't what he was planning.

Her little brother had been except from the list of people in the know. Not just the fact that Max and Tracey were, in general, _very_ busy with all sorts of League and SECTION codes and transmissions and Pokémon information and jumping back and forth from Cerulean to Viridian to Mount Moon and back, but also with whatever else their skills were needed for around the base. On the other hand - May was just a general researcher and another hand in the rebel effort – she was a co-ordinator and her battling skills were limited at best. Unlike Brock who was a qualified gym leader and a great asset to the rebellion.

But she was rambling. Her thoughts were scattered on the breeze as she hurried through Viridian Forest, cautious in case of a lost rocket or Team member, lurking around where they shouldn't be. Viridian Forest was a no go zone nowadays. For Team and SECTION alike.

May was walking a dangerous path here.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:00PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Route 8 – East of Saffron City – Ash/Erika & Pokémon (Eevee, Raichu, Zorua, Lucario, Chikorita, Pichu)**

Fighting their way out of the Rockets in Saffron City was not on Erika's 'Top List of Things to Do'. Not that she had a 'Top List of Things to Do' but that wasn't the point. Chasing Ash across the city with her newly adopted Pichu with the weird ear and the little grass Chikorita (she could barely resist squealing over the cute grass type) wasn't something she was willing to repeat any time soon.

They had eventually made it to the city outskirts as Erika hissed, "Where are you _going?_"

"Somewhere you can't follow," he had retorted.

She narrowed her eyes. "Tough luck Shadow – I told you I was coming with you and I meant it. Sab and Lance have gone south. It's too late to catch up to them now."

And so he had let her tag along, resigned to the losing battle he was already facing with dissuading her.

Every step closer to the town ahead made her want to turn and run away even more. The place was sending out bad vibes and the grass type was huddled in her satchel wide eyed while Pichu was perched on her shoulder, hiding behind her hair. The party was tense, and it was a miracle she didn't jump up and scream in fear as a loud bell rang out on the point of midday.

"Creepy," Zo muttered, "That is just so _wrong._"

Wrong, Erika considered, was a good way to describe the sight of the slated rooftops appearing through the treetops, purple shaded roofs tinged black in places. The bells rang out around the countryside, and she flinched slightly with every toll. Something about the once perfectly normal Lavender Town set her on edge, as if it was merely a perfect façade to a deep, dark hidden-closet secret.

"You can still turn back."

She smirked determinedly at Ash who was eyeing here calmly, as if the heavy vibrations from the bell didn't faze him at all. "No way sunshine," she retorted, "Ya' think some bells and a haunted town is going to scare me?"

He didn't answer and so she replied for him, "You can turn back if you want to Shad, but I'm going to go and find some time gears and mess up some top secret Team plan while I'm at it. Got it memorised? Good. Well stop dilly-dallying and let's mosey!"

Ash froze for a moment at her little speech before conceding. Really, he couldn't have said it better himself.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:10PM] – 22<strong>**rd**** May – Route 25 – Cerulean Cape – Misty & Pokémon (Gyrados, Golduck)**

Misty winced as the little pebbles clicked and clacked as they fell to the sea far below. Her blue sea serpent was looking up with concerned eyes as she edged her way down the narrow cliff.

Golduck followed her, his smooth sleek feathers oily and pressed flat against his webbed hands. Misty froze as another rock was sent skidding to the bottom, before crouching down, grabbing onto a rocky handhold and lowering herself down.

The water loomed below, and the cape point above. She winced as the waves crashed on the large boulders down below, and the wind tugged at her clothing, pulling her to her doom with tantalising fingers.

She inched her way further down, further from the safety and solidness of the land and closer to the wild sea, the monster ocean that raged below.

"Cerulean Cape," she muttered, "_Cerulean Cape._ Well next time Gary better give me better co-ordinates that Cerulean _bloody_ Cape."

A scream was torn from her throat as her foot slipped and she slid a metre downwards before her hand caught on a rock, tearing the skin but stopping her slide.

"Golduck!" her Pokémon cried in anxiety, making his way steadily towards her. She glanced up, damp red hair falling in her face as her turquoise blue eyes widened, blinking at the strange blue light glowing in the cliff.

She blinked, just to check she wasn't imaging the eerie glow as she inched forward, closing her eyes as she made the horrible heart stopping leap between footholds. She whimpered, pulling herself closer to the cliff before cranking open her eyes.

She blinked.

"Oh Mew." She exclaimed, eyes widening at the hollowed out rock in front of her, where, crusted with salt, and glowing a pretty pale blue, dancing with the shades of the ocean, sat a small crystallised time gear. "It's beautiful," she exclaimed softly, even as Golduck appeared on the rock she had just been on.

It was the size of her clenched fist, but only a centimetre thick. Tightening her grip on the cliff, she reached out one hand, fixing one finger through the small hole in the centre as she pulled it towards her. In response, the blue light seemed to play under her fingers, reacting to her touch.

Water.

She fought back the triumphant grin, as she grabbed the gear, holding it so tightly lest she drop it to the raging ocean and rocky boulder beneath. Sweat and blood mixed with the salt incrusted crystal still wet with sea water as she slipped it into a pocket of her khaki trousers, zipping it up afterwards, and then, double checking to make sure, then triple checking once more the precious time gear of water was safely hidden before turning back to the arduous process of climbing down the cliff.

Misty swallowed a lump in her throat and wondered if there was a worse possible situation to be in.

Her brain prompted her with pictures of bugs and she promptly decided that yes.

Yes there was.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:10PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Route 8 – East of Saffron City – Ash/Erika & Pokémon (Eevee, Raichu, Zorua, Lucario, Chikorita, Pichu)**

"Where is he?" Erika hissed, as she ducked behind a tree to avoid being seen by the approaching rocket grunt. She wondered, for the millionth time, what the difference between the whole 'Team' and 'Rocket' and 'Galactic' and 'Aqua' and 'Magma' was. She'd have to ask Ash at some point.

The said elite had currently vanished under the pretence of scouting.

She almost shot Zo for what must have been the third time as the fox appeared out of nowhere. The Chikorita by her ankle made a noise which Erika thought was meant to be a snarl but it sounded far too cute.

"Don't _do_ that! If I shoot you it's not my fault! And where is that bloody trainer of yours?"

"He's lost." Zo remarked calmly, peering over Erika's shoulder at the entrance to the town and the guarding grunts.

"Lost." The Celadon gym leader didn't sound impresses.

The purple fox nodded, "So if I shape shift, knock out the grunts and you cover my back and shoot the other two just beyond him we can get in unnoticed, okay?" continued the fox, who didn't seem to perturbed by the fact her trainer was lost.

Erika blinked, "But what about Ash?"

"What about him?"

Resisting the urge to smack herself in the forehead Erika said wearily, "What are we going to do about him being lost?"

Zo frowned. "He's not lost lost. He's lost. You know. L.O.S.T."

"No, obviously I don't know otherwise I wouldn't be asking."

The Zorua rolled her eyes leaping up onto a low lying branch to gain a better vantage point. "L.O.S.T. Looking over strange terrain. Du-uh." She exclaimed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Erika choked, and then ducked down as the guard's pacing brought him back around again. "Well why didn't you say so?" she hissed angrily, ignoring the little yellow Pichu who had burst out laughing.

"I did."

Erika closed her eyes tiredly.

Maybe if she'd gone with Sabrina and Lance it would have been less of a headache.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:23PM] – 22<strong>**rd**** May – Route 25 – Cerulean Cape – Misty & Pokémon (Gyrados, Golduck)**

Misty clung to her Pokémon's wet scales closing her eyes against the flurry of sea water and salt spray.

"Gyra!" she cried, coughing a bit as a wave splashed her mouth, and "Let's get out to open sea. The waves are calmer there."

Calmer was one way to describe the frozen waves, which contrasted the violent Cliffside breakers. Misty heaved a sigh of relief as she settled into position in a curve of Gyrados' back, blinking as Golduck surfed beside her. "Now we gotta' go all the way around to Seafoam." She yawned. "Brilliant. I'll leave it to you Gyra!"

Her Pokémon gave an approving rumble as he sliced through the water, and Misty felt her eyes drift off. It was almost second nature, being on water, not quite as good as being in the water, but definitely better than walking around on land. The orange island trip had been her forte, amongst the water islands and Ash's Lapras had been a darling.

She stifled the usual pain that came with thoughts of _him._

Some days, she barely thought about him at all, and those were the times she felt the most grief. That she could _forget_ him… that he was fading in her memories, no matter how hard she tried to hold on. Those were the days that the wounded hole where he had been felt the most ragged.

He had torn a hole inside her, where he had been. She had never even figured he'd had so much impact, with his little quirks, and his infectious smile and happy-go-lucky mood. He'd sobered of course, with the start of the war, but then everybody had, and especially after SECTION found him in that Cinnabar Rocket base with no memories.

She winced, reflexively, and wondered whether the Cinnabar Volcano was rigged to explode, should the base fall. But no, surely Blaine would never have let it, what with his gym being _in_ the thing.

Maybe that was why he wasn't around anymore, his death unconfirmed.

It was a sorrowing thought, but it was only a small chime compared to the loud ringing peals of grief that came with _his_ loss. When the League were still in control, and they sent him on that no good mission to infiltrate the ranks. 'He'd done it before' they said, 'he can do it again.'

Nobody had ever tried to explain that the only reason he managed to infiltrate them last time (if only briefly) was because of his precarious deal with them which, at first testing, had crippled and fallen through and ended up with an exploding Cinnabar Volcano and an amnesic elite.

She still blamed herself for being the spark which had ignited that whole incident.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:23PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Route 8 – West of Lavender Town – Ash/Erika & Pokémon (Eevee, Raichu, Zorua, Lucario, Chikorita, Pichu)**

"No more sneaking around!" Erika complained when Ash finally appeared next to her followed by his three Pokémon. She pulled her poncho tighter around her shoulders. "We go in, get the gears, and leave ASAP. Got it? Not after that Saffron fiasco."

Ash frowned at her. "Are you okay?" he asked, "You're not usually this grumpy."

Erika let out a frustrated hiss. "Whatever Shadow. Let's just go and get this gear. Where is it anyway?"

"Cario." Lucario spoke up. (Here). "RioCarrLuc. CarRiKarr." (In the tower. The memorial place.)

Ash winced as he relayed the message. "It's in Lavender Tower." Seeing Erika's face he added, "Yes, the one with the ghosts."

The girl winced. "Brilliant. So what's the plan?"

Ash narrowed his eyes at the guards marching around. "We climb the cliff and come up behind the place. There's a back entrance we can use. Then I try a very foolish and dangerous stunt and you cover me."

"What!"

Yes, the idea of staying with Lance and Sabrina was appealing to her more and more.

"Well you see in terms of Pokémon types, I'm typed dark at the moment. I'm dead, officially. We're going to visit the haunted ghost rocket laboratory and I'm already a sort of half ghost."

Erika glared at him.

The raven swallowed before nervously continuing his explanation. "The place there, it won't let the living about which is why you can't go. I can. So I go grab the gear, dodging rockets and - " Ash trailed off when he realised Erika wasn't listening. "What are you doing?"

The gym leaders was currently notching an arrow to her bow and aiming it as the single guard paced past again. "Go and retrieve him, would you?" she said, as she let the arrow fly and sink into the man's neck. He fell with a startled gurgle, hand to his throat and coughing up blood, even as his face turned a sickly puce colour. "Well go on then." Erika snapped. "Fetch." She commanded, as one would a pet dog.

Ash blinked, before vanishing in a shimmer of hazy air and dark wisps of smoke appearing instantaneously by the rocket. He grabbed hold and re-appeared next to Erika.

Ash watched on with a half impressed, half exasperated look on his face as Erika went about stripping the rocket down. He raised an eyebrow as she began pulling her clothes of and stuffing them in her bag, while donning the rockets suit. "Or, you could dress up like that rocket guard over there and march around like a rocket while I go get the gear and you cover my back. That could work too."

Erika stood up, glaring at him. "You know, your ideas are worse than Lance's."

Va winced theatrically, a purple furred Espeon. At her side, Raichu was playing with the little Pichu.

Ash sighed. "Owch. That's low." He complained.

Erika shrugged, "Tough. Now I'm going in the front. I'll meet you near the back, okay?"

Ash was about to protest but Erika didn't give him a chance, marching of to the building determinedly, the little Chikorita following at her heels chirping happily as if strolling towards a top secret rocket laboratory that stunk of 'wrongness' and 'pain' was an everyday occurrence.

The Pichu wisely stayed next to Rai even as Ash faded from view and Va and Zo followed him. Lucario remained, the bags propped up on a rock besides him.

(Since when was I the luggage carrier?) he complained with a bark, and the orange mouse and his little companion burst into snickers.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:32PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Lavender Town – Pokémon Tower – Second Floor - Erika & Pokémon (Chikorita)**

The Celadon Gym Leader was wondering if she was mad. She squashed down another bout of fear as two blac suited team members marched past her. Instead, she kept her head high, marching through as if she owned the place, rather than cowering in a corner like she wanted to.

The little green herb leaf Pokémon that she had adopted trotted at her feet. "Korir," the little thing chirped quietly. "Chikor KorRi." (I'm scared. This place is weird.)

"It's okay." Erika breathed, softly as she slipped up a set of stairs and turned right down a corridor.

The place was horrible. Once, it had been an old haunted mansion on the outskirts of the town. Then it had been turned into a Pokémon burial place, a sort of church, place of rest. Now, the old stone bricks were covered with new, shiny white plastic that hurt her eyes and the tiles floor that made her footsteps echo along the corridor.

"Hey. You!"

Erika felt her blood freeze, even as she turned slowly towards the turquoise haired executive that was pointing at her. She saluted, "Yessir!" she barked out, trying to look attentive.

"Carry this and follow me down to the basement and labs." Proton barked, and Erika hurried to obey, silently cursing. She was meant to be heading upwards! The gear was on the top floor!

Okay, maybe Ash's idea had some merit.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:32PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Lavender Town – Pokémon Tower – Top Floor - Ash & Pokémon (Eevee and Zorua)**

Ash picked up the violet coloured gear from under the large Lavender Tower bell. He shivered in the cool, unearthly breeze and made for the stairs, not wanting to dilly-dally for longer than necessary.

"Where's Erika? I thought she was going to come up after us?" Zorua complained, morphing into Typhlosion for a few seconds, testing out her Illusion ability before switching back into her usual shadow fox. "Is there something wrong?"

Ash shrugged. "We have to head down now. It's either that or we jump of the tower which I am not doing. We should meet her."

"And if we don't?"

Ash bit his lip, shivering in the eerie atmosphere. He frowned, eyes dancing from red, to blue, to purple even then as he realised that something had gone horribly wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:35PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Lavender Town – Pokémon Tower – Basement Level - Laboratory - Erika & Pokémon (Chikorita)**

"Drop it there." Proton dismissed her with a wave of his hand as he marched towards some white coated scientists who were bent over something.

Erika gratefully dropped the heavy box on top of a pile of others, before glancing nervously around the whitewashed lab.

Her eyes fell then, on to the wall of cages on one side, Pokémon of different species huddling within and whinging pitifully. Chikorita shivered against her leg and Erika stole a glance to see if anybody was watching.

No one.

Erika took slow calm measured steps across to the cages and peered into the first one, curiosity overcoming her.

She reeled back with horror, stifling a gasp, and then blinked at the distorted species within. A horrible twisted mix between a Vaporeon and Jolteon, the smooth skin of the water type bubbled and marred by yellow spiky fur while red eyes gleamed at her, a yellow Umbreon ring on the twisted, disfigured head, the black and blue and yellow splotched together like a bad painting. The morph might have worked, if it wasn't for the fact that the bone structure obviously wasn't aligned, and the delicate cat fish body had extra bones that duplicated the limbs and appeared like cancerous tumours over the body.

Erika closed her eyes, trying to get her breathing under control. She glanced, unwillingly towards the next cage. A Gengar, Muk morph, the demon's skin a bubbling mess of poison and the skin literally being burnt off even as the ghost shimmered in and out of existent with a pitiful cry mixed with pain and anger.

Her Chikorita let out a squeak as she tried to talk to a black Charmander on the bottom row, with red eyes and a small black flame burning on its tail, ridged spikes descending across its back. The pitiful creature snarled, revealing shiny fangs.

Erika grabbed the green herb leaf Pokémon from the floor, stepping back in horror at the wall of monstrosities. Turning around she saw what the scientists were bent over, a twisted lump of purple crystal which she realised was a Graveller, eyes yellow and several limbs more than normal. One white coat was fiddling with wires, which led from a grey stone to the crystal poison Graveller who, from the large diamonds that sat embedded into the skin, showed its Sableye cross genetics.

But that grey stone…

No…not a stone…

Erika's eyes widened at the familiar shape. No. No way.

"Excuse me?" one of the scientists had looked up at her staring, open mouthed. "Are you lost?"

Oh no no no. This definitely wasn't good. Not good at all.

The teal haired black garbed executive looked towards her, a wolfish smirk on his face. "Well, well. What do we have here?"

Lance and Sabrina had definitely been the better option.

* * *

><p><em>AN – Woo! Updated! I'm glad to finally get this sorted. I have a better idea now of where my plot is heading. That be said, I don't know which character I'm following for the next chapter yet :S And sorry about Dawn's map, but I actually have one on PowerPoint of which I need to keep track of my characters (It has the coloured circles and everything). Hopefully I will know which Route at least the characters will be on, unlike the Ghost Peak chapter where I destroyed the signpost because I didn't know I couldn't be bothered to check on my SoulSilver cartridge. Ah, well. <em>

_It's just occurred to me that the Zorua in the movie is male. My Zorua was originally going to be that one but then I realised I'd have to change it. Since I only specified she joined him in Sinnoh I haven't officially messed anything up yet. (*evil grin*) Now I get to think of a whole sad sob background for Zo :D_

_I was going to introduce Paul and/or Drew but I decided against it after realising how many people I've introduced. Ah, well. For some reason this is turning into quite a sweet May/Lance. I also don't want to think what chaos has been happening in the other regions. It's bad enough I just randomly dumped May and Dawn in Kanto without extending to the whys and how's._

_Thank you soo much for the reviews! I appreciate the support immensely and am glad you enjoy the story!_

_Muahaha – cliff hanger! (It wasn't intentional! I swear!)_

_~ Eclipse_


	12. Crumbling Tower

**Chapter 12 – Crumbling Tower**

"_Option three - it accelerates the whole apocalyptic end of the world thing. Basically not good." _Connor Temple – Primeval – Series 5.6

* * *

><p><strong>[12:36PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Lavender Town – Pokémon Tower – Basement Level - Laboratory - Erika & Pokémon (Chikorita)**

"I'm sorry." She squeaked.

Yeah, way to go. Why was she apologising to them again?

"I…my Chikorta ran off…I was just leaving…sorry sir…it won't happen again sir…" Erika forced herself to stop babbling, clutching the herb leafed Pokémon to her chest. It was only then she realised she didn't know where the Pichu had vanished too…

"You don't have clearance to remain down here." One of the scientists wheezed. Maybe he had breathing problems…

Erika mentally hit herself. Now was not the time to be getting distracted like this! Instead she nodded obediently, and made a beeline for the door.

But the gear…

Damn it! Find Ash and direct that self-centred dead jerk to it. She was out of here!

"Wait!"

She was centimetres from the door. She eyed it sadly. So close too.

Erika turned around one part of her mind wondering if she'd lost it completely. "Yes sir?" she blinked.

"I haven't seen you around here before." The executive… Proton… hummed, scratching his chin even as he moved closer to her. His gait was soft, like a predator, and Erika repressed a shiver.

"I'm new."

Way to go with the brilliant excuses girl.

"New, huh?"

She nodded, focussing determinedly on the floor, and trying not to look at the greasy haired scientists, the deformed monstrosities or the rock time gear. Anything but… There was a long silence, and you could cut the air with a knife the tension was so palpable. "I'll just be on my way sir." She muttered, thankful her voice wasn't trembling.

She glanced up to see Proton shake his head, a thin lipped smile on his lips. "No. You are going to stay and tell me exactly _what_ the Celadon Gym Leader is doing scrounging around in Lavender Tower."

Mentally, Erika swore.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:36PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Lavender Town – Pokémon Tower – An unknown mid-way floor - Ash & Pokémon (Eevee and Zorua)**

Come on!

Ash practically jumped down another set of stairs, his eyes focussing on the end of the corridor even as the air around his warped and cracked as he teleported to the end of the corridor. Anther ripple and he was gone.

Something had happened. Something bad. Erika's aura was dim, and nowhere near the floors she was supposed to be working her way up.

So that left the conclusion that something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

"_Suns! Slow down!"_ Rai called, his ever faithful companion, Zo and Va on his heels.

His evolution didn't matter really. Not in the end.

He knew if given the choice again he wouldn't have done anything differently.

Not when it was his life on the line.

He frowned. _"I thought I left you with the Pichu and Lucario."_

"_I followed. You needed help."_

Yeah. He tended to. Because the simpler things were the more likely things were going to go wrong.

"_Where did you leave the little guy?" _the Eevee (who for once was an Eevee) asked, even as she couldn't slow herself in time and fell into a rolling fluff ball down the stairs.

Zo winced. _"That's gotta' hurt."_

Ash shook his head, _"Less talk more action."_ He mentally snapped, even as he teleported forward a few metres.

The orange mouse leapt out of thin air appearing at his side. _"Do you even know where she is?"_

No. No he didn't. But this was Lavender Tower, infamous for being the source of the horrible Pokémon mutations over the past few years. If Erika had wound up in trouble, she would be in the last place Ash ever wanted to be right now.

Never wanted to set foot in ever again. Not after last time.

"_Ash?"_

He swallowed down his fear and disgust, and tried not to remember the needles and the bright, harsh white lights and the smell of the eerily clean conditions.

"_The labs. Erika's in the labs."_

* * *

><p><strong>[12:38PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Lavender Town – Pokémon Tower – Basement Level - Laboratory - Erika & Pokémon (Chikorita)**

"Let me go!" Erika complained, "Unhand me you ruffians." She flailed but her arms were tightly bound and held, even as the three rocket grunts marched her towards the white coats and the metal operating table.

She felt sick. Sick and scared. These bloody people were mad. Mental. Bonkers. Crazy. Barkers. Insane. Psychos. Off their rocker.

Wow. Fear was a good incentive for finding decent synonyms.

"I don't think so." Proton smirked. "You see we have needed a decent human subject for a while now. One success. We've only had one success. We were forced to give it up when Giovanni started to notice the missing low level grunts. But now…" he motioned to several scientists.

"No. You're crazy! I haven't done anything. You _can't-"_

"I'm afraid we can." The sly sneak interrupted smoothly, stepping backwards and admiring her as the scientists went about strapping her to a table. "You'll make a fine specimen."

One of the scientists pushed his glasses up his nose, "Which cells shall we use in her?"

Proton frowned, brows furrowing. "I really would like to try out that stone's power which would make me think rock… but using grass would have a fantastic irony to it."

"Sir, there is that little starter of hers."

"Ah yes." His teal eyes lit up, "The Johto grass type."

In the cage Chikorita had been thrown roughly into the small Pokémon gave a pathetic squeak.

"No!" Erika protested, "That's not right. Leave her alone!"

Proton nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, yes. It would seem best then to use rock on…"

He stopped talking at the explosion that ripped at the door. The noise was horrible – metal screeching and a distant rumble of falling rubble as the metal buckled, the bricks crumbling around the side, dust rising to the air in thick, stagnant clouds. Proton spun around, eyes wide, watching as cracks appeared, spreading outwards with tentative fingers as if it was ice, or glass, cracking underweight. The executive watched as the visible cracks in the wall spread, lightning seeping through and dancing along the rocks.

Then there was dust and smoke and the occupants of the room ducked at the tremor shook the room and the wall crumbled.

Erika kicked out with her yet unchained feet in the confusion, in the orderly, beautiful chaotic panic, knocking the one audacious scientist's glasses off and nailing the other in the neck, sending him tumbling to the ground. She was about lash out again, struggling against her bindings and trying not to cough at the thick dust. Tears were streaming down her face and she blinked them back at the familiar flicker of Ash as he teleported in.

Then the cold metal pressed against her temple and her struggling limbs fell still in terror. A small whimper escaped her throat, even as she blinked, trying to see in the dust. The cold metal dug in harder.

"You come any closer and she dies."

The dark shape of the dead man froze.

"Don't worry about me!" she called. "The gear! There's a gear in the mach…" she cut off and a thin, lithe arm wrapped around her throat. The cuffs holding her hands snapped open and they immediately flew to her throat, trying to free herself from the choke hold. It loosened slightly and she took a grateful gasp of air.

"Let her go." Ash's voice was cold. "Now."

"Surrender."

"Let her go."

They were at a standpoint. A horrible standpoint with the Celadon gym leader at the centre. She blinked, as the dust cleared, Ash standing there, face hidden in the shadows of his hood, even as Raichu paced along the shattered wall, black lightning dancing at his paw steps. Zo was crouched, hackles raised and purple fur blacker than ever, the red tipped furs glistening like blood in the dusty ruined lab.

Again Erika's hands scrabbled out, looking for something… _anything…_ to use as a weapon.

She winced as something was knocked over with a clang and clash of metal, but neither man even blinked. Proton was smirking, observing as Ash slowly let the aura surrounding his hands dissolve, raising his gloved hands in a universal surrender sign.

No.

Don't surrender! She wanted to scream. Not for her. She could die. Why wasn't he just getting the gear? Why was he waiting?

Her hands found the metal operating bench again. She hissed as something sliced her hand, but as the choke hold around her neck tightened at that moment it went unheard.

Again she reached out, clasping the instrument in her sweaty palm. She closed her eyes, fumbling, and for a few precious seconds she thought she was going to drop the instrument.

Ash had saved her before. Before at Celadon he had teleported her out and healed her.

This time… this time she was save him.

Her hands tightened on the scalpel.

She took a deep breath.

Then all hell broke loose.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:57PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Lavender Town – Pokémon Tower – Basement Level - Corridor – Erika, Ash & Pokémon (Chikorita, Raichu, Eevee, Zorua)**

Her hands were bloodied as she flicked the switches in front of her. As many as she could find, buttons (especially the bright red ones) flips and levers were pulled and switched. She didn't know what the machinery did. _She didn't want to know. _She tried not to think of what had just happened as she continued vandalising the machinery.

She kicked at the console, even as she tore away some wires. As if on cue, the warning siren flashed, and an automated message rang out.

She couldn't hear anymore – her ears were ringing and she thought she was going to be sick. Or had she already been sick. She certainly felt it.

Then Ash was standing in front of her, holding her shoulder, shaking her, speaking and she blinked stupidly for a few seconds before understanding him.

"Come on!" he looked desperate. "We need to get out – there's a passage this way to hills. Erika! Erika!"

She jolted back to her senses, and the noise of the siren and warning made the world tilt alarmingly.

Then she blinked, Ash holding her upright, eyes a funny browny green. One word, rested on his lips.

"Run."

And they did.

A part of her was laughing. Doubled up in hysterics. Tears mixed with the ringing peals and the breaths she could take were shuddering gasping things in the midst of her sobs and laughter.

Another part of her was revelling in the fact she was _alive_. The adrenaline was pumping through her as she ran, _how they ran,_ and she didn't want to stop for anyone or anything.

She was disgusted. Hurt and sick at what she had become in the heat of the moment, the terror and fear and pain and the churning emotions in her gut at what had happened.

And then there was the part that – inevitable, was absolutely terrified and wondering how long before that machinery decided enough was enough and decided it was time to blow.

Faster.

They hurtled down corridors, knocking over confused and idiotic guards who didn't realise they were running for a reason. That there was something a lot more terrifying than Team or Pokémon or monsters behind them and none of them stopped, neither of the two humans or three Pokémon wanted to stay around to chat.

She could feel the heartbeat of Chikorita against her back, huddled in her back. Her footsteps pounding on the grounds and she tried not to hear the screams of the angry Pokémon mutants as they swarmed the place, wreaking havoc and revenge even as they too, fled from the imminent disaster.

Then there was the door which they threw themselves on, and then there was air – _blessed air_ – and they were throwing themselves as far away from the tower as possible even as the earth began to growl and complain as the old stone shifted.

It was slow at first, seeming to almost wave in the breeze, and then it was gone, replaced by fire and ash and smoke and dust and burning, burning flames. Erika crouched on the hill, flat against the ground, blinking in confusion as she looking for the tower.

In a horrible, mournful peal and groan the whole thing ripped outwards, in a ball of flames and fire and dust and death.

In one, horrible, never ending moment, Erika watched as Lavender Tower exploded.

* * *

><p><strong>[13:14PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Outskirts - Unknown**

He paused, mid-way between his depressive musings and an 'I hate all life on this pitiful planet' rant. With gleaming indigo eyes he watched the explosion in the distance with some interest. It almost matched up to his Celadon City blow-up, and he had to admit, the crumbling tower and falling bell did make the most interesting sight to behold.

He could barely contain his smirk of amusement.

Well he had to admit it was impressive.

And he definitely was grateful to whoever did it, whether on purpose or not.

But really… and explosion not caused by him… how odd…

He must be losing his touch.

* * *

><p><strong>[13:16PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – South ****of Lavender Town – Forest/Hill Edge – Erika & Pokémon (Chikorita)**

She woke with a start, as if from a bad dream. She blinked at the fuzzy green shape in front of her, and when it let a small chirp she blinked again, her Chikorita coming into focus.

She winced. That had been a bad nightmare. It wasn't every day you dreamed about betting stuck in a lab, about to be turned into a Pokémon mutant, stabbed a Team Rocket executive with a scalpel even as a mutant Eevee set about mauling him, set a machine to blow up, and then watched as said explosion occurred.

She blinked, suddenly aware of the blood on her hands, the dirt and grime around her, and more importantly, the ash falling from the sky like snow.

Oh.

It hadn't been a dream.

Erika promptly rolled over and was sick.

A few minutes later, she felt well enough to stand, sighing as she stretched her limps, moving away from the sheltering hillside where she had lain. She glanced only briefly towards the town, before turning away.

She didn't want to see.

She didn't want to know.

She didn't want to acknowledge what had just happened.

She felt weak at her knees and she slid down, a few steps into the forest.

"RikaRika Chi?" the small Pokémon chirped (Where is Ash?) and she blinked, missing the presence of the man and his Pokémon. She wanted to look around, and call out, but she knew it would only be in vain. Before she even spotted the note pinned to her bag she knew.

Ash had gone.

He had left her behind.

* * *

><p><strong>[13:16PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** May – Lavender Town – Pokémon Tower – Basement Level - Corridor – Ash & Pokémon (Raichu, Eevee, Zorua, Lucario)**

Skirting the city was a nightmare. Ash knew what had happened. He knew that setting Erika to wreck the machinery would result in the explosion. He had seen the moment when she had started running on automatic, panicking in the chaos even as they raced away from the collapsing tower.

He reasoned the guilt he felt was not from killing the rockets (he honestly hardly cared for them) but for abandoning the gym leaders. However he had seen the way she had taken the events, and with her life at risk, he couldn't let her keep this up.

"_Are you sure?" _Rai asked him, hopping through the trees to his right, _"We can still go back."_

"_It's safer."_ Lucario answered for him, knowing his thoughts and plans, _"She can help out those in Vermillion."_

The purple fox let her tail drag through the ash stained soil, "_I'll miss her."_ She admitted.

The orange mouse swished his tail lazily. "_Yeah." _He admitted. _"Me too."_

Ash sighed, closing his eyes. _"How many have we got now?"_ he asked, even as he answered his own question by unzipping his jacket and sliding the gears out from where he kept them on an inner pocket.

Seven circular rock shapes slid out onto the ground. Each had a faint luminescent glow to them, and together they looked like a pretty stone rainbow. He quickly accounted for the older gears, the maroon fighting gear Lucario had given him from Orre, the metallic steel gear from Mount Coronet in Sinnoh, the navy blue dragon gear from Blackthorn and the clear see-through flying gear from Mount Silver.

He took a moment to examine the three new gears. The purple grey poison gear they had raided from Saffron – originally from Fuchsia city, and the brown dusty one the rockets were using for their experiments – no doubt from Rock Tunnel which had been where he was had been going to go next.

Well that saved a journey.

And the bright violet blue ghost gear from the tower. That made seven. That left ten to go.

It seemed like a lot. Hell it was a lot, but then you started ticking off the others. The Viridian and Mount Moon group should by now have the Viridian bug gear from Gary and the rose coloured psychic gear from the vaults. That left eight.

He frowned. He'd have to check in on Vermillion once he'd finished with his next target. By then he'd have six left, and he hoped he could send Lance after some while he went after the others.

He sighed. Yeah, maybe he'd get them all collected eventually.

Eventually.

For the millionth time he cursed the legendries. The all-powerful gods and deities.

Some use they were. Most of them had gone into a sort of coma when time ground to a halt. Arceus was awake only long enough to bring him back to life before falling into slumber. There were times when Ash thought the Alpha had overdone it, bringing him back like he had, and making him a fixed point in this frozen time.

Not all of the legendaries were slumbering. The great land deities of Hoenn – Kyogre, Rayquaza and Groundon were still for once, their endless battles ceasing, even as the Regi trio retreated to their temples, following the example of their Sinnoh leader.

Mew was somewhere, but the shapeshifter was nothing more than a playful kitten. Latios was dead, his soul dew shattered, and his sister vanished. That had been near the start of the war. The rockets had made their base on the isolated city, before moving onto the mainland, leaving a water trodden city behind them, destroyed in their wake.

Just like they had left the world.

Dialga, Giratina and Palkia too slept, along with Heatran, the volcano lord. Celebi was locked out of the single plane of time, forever flitting before and after but never in this endless instant. Jirachi would not wake for another millennia, and the Deoxys were too busy trying to get home than to worry about the humans.

Ash frowned as he tried to recall the other legendries. There were many but at the same time, few and far between. The nightmare and dream duo, along with the sea duo, were locked out of this reality. The land of the sea and the land of dreams played no part here.

Johto's three dogs and Kanto's three birds were still around. Somewhere. Their power was weakened, and they did what they could. Their lord and masters could only watch, guarding the skies, a rainbow and song of hope in these dark times.

Shaymin couldn't do anything. Frozen time meant the flowers they worshiped so couldn't flower, and so they waited, just like the rest of the world, for nothing. The lake trio had fallen into a slumber with the other world orientated legendries, falling into a stasis.

Unable to do a thing.

Ash sighed. He wondered what they would think of them now. What would they think of the world they had created? They started it off with a bang, with beauty and knowledge, and let it grow. They stepped in from time to time, to keep everything on track, but otherwise, they watched in an eternal forever.

In an eternal forever they were now doomed to wait for tomorrow to arrive, in a day when today never ended.

And tomorrow would never arrive.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN - I chose Proton as the evil executive instead of the others because he is known as the cruellest and scariest of the four (that and I happened to have forgotten about him until I needed and evil guy) He was the criminal who was chopping of Slowpoke tails in SoulSilverHeartGold to make a profit so I figured Pokémon experimentation wasn't much of a stretch.**_

_**And yes – I know Pichu is missing. It's part of the plan.**_

_**And there is a summary of what happened to the legendaries. I'm sorry it got a bit rambling but in summary they have all fallen into a deep sleep (Arceus, Creation Dragons, Weather Trio, Legendary Golems x4, Lake Guardians, Heatran – basically ones essential to keeping the world running) with the exception of some who either can't really do anything helpful (Lunar Duo, Sea Duo, Deoxys, Mew Duo) or can't access the frozen time period (Celebi, Jirachi, Shaymin) The some who can can't do anything much due to the lack of their powers for some mystical reason (Johto Dogs, Bird Trio, Tower Duo, Mew Duo, Eon Duo).**_

_**I'm not counting Unova Pokémon with the exception of vague references to Reshiram, Zekrom and Kyogre and of course Zo, but because Zorua and Zoroak starred in a fourth gen movie I'm not counting it as fifth gen.**_

_**Sorry for the short chapter but I wanted to get the Lavender situation done and over with. It's a bit eerie – it's meant to be a bit disjointed and ghostly.**_

_**Thanks for the reviews and support. Hope you enjoy reading :)**_

_**~ Eclipse**_


	13. Unreactive Silence

**Chapter 13 – Unreactive Silence**

"_The quiet silence defines our misery. The riot inside keep trying to visit me. No matter how we try it's too much history. Too many bad notes playing in our symphony. So let it breathe, let it fly, let it go, let fall, let it crash, burn slow. And then you call upon God. Oh then you call upon God." _Hurricane – 30 Seconds to Mars .feat Kayne West

* * *

><p><strong>[14:56PM] – 25<strong>**th**** May – Route 2 - Diglett's Cave – Unknown Level – May & Leaf (Ninetales, Glaceon, Jigglypuff, Ditto)**

"We're lost in here."

"I know."

"You could have told me!"

"I was too busy trying to work out whether this is the rock we keep turning right at or the wonky one we keep turning left at."

"That's really helpful."

"Glagla Ceo Eon Acee." (Will you stop arguing?)

"Nya?" (Please?)

"Sorry Ninetales. We'll find the way out soon."

"We're not looking for the way out."

"Then we'll find the piece of rock we're looking for so we can get out of here."

"A rock amongst rocks. Well you have to admit it's a good hiding place."

"I wish we let some of those bumbling League fella's come along."

"I don't."

"No… I don't really want them either. I just thought it might make things easier."

"Easy? Who wants easy? A challenge is more fun!"

"For you maybe."

"Aw – come on! Look on the bright side! Well… if there was any light in here."

"Jiggly," the pink balloon Pokémon chirped, adding her own views to the argument, "Puff puff."

The ice fox sighed, rolling her dark eyes as she continued to trail behind the bickering pair of woman.

* * *

><p><strong>[09:05PM] – 25<strong>**th**** May – Route 2 – Mount Moon SECTION Base – Approximately six hours earlier**

"All right campers?" Dawn skipped in with her morning mug of coffee, bright eyed with her small blue penguin dancing at her heels, "All ready to set out?"

There was a distinctive moan of 'No!' from Leaf who was half asleep curled up against Gary's shoulder on the couch. May would likely have answered if it wasn't for the mouthful of food she was busy consuming.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Brock said, stuffing a map into one of the woman's bags. "You might need to camp out so I've prepared extra food. You'll either be back by late evening or early morning tomorrow. Don't think of trying to get through to Viridian. And… are you even listening to me?" he asked, as Leaf's eyes drifted shut and May paused to take a sip of her drink.

"Of course." May remarked innocently.

He squinted suspiciously at the pair. "Leaf?"

Gary nudged his girlfriend awake and the brunette jumped awake in surprise. "Wha-? Yep. Back by morning or evening. Got it."

The spiky haired Viridian leader chuckled, "Pesky girl," he muttered, fondly.

"Jiggly!" Her Pokémon announced happily from where it was scrawling over a pad of paper with its black marker.

Brock nodded, happy that he had covered everything and hoping the girls had been listening. He decided to test it out. "Off we go then."

There was the light sound of Leaf's snoring and May eating and Dawn stifling a giggle.

Brock sighed. Maybe he should start again.

Ten minutes later after dowsing Leaf in cold water and waiting for May to finish her food and for Brock to repeat his instructions, the pair looked slightly more awake.

"Will you be all right?" Leaf asked Gary, pressing herself close to the spiky haired researcher.

He gave her a lopsided grin which she was convinced he had stolen at some point from Ash. "Sure. Why not? Me and Brock have a little jaunt into Viridian Forest and Dawn's here to monitor the network when Lance calls in. She's co-ordinating ours, yours, Misty's and Lance's movements in the field. And taking a guess at Shadow's."

"Ash."

He swallowed. "Ash. Yeah. If it's really him."

"You don't believe it."

"I do. That's the problem."

Leaf let out a small "Oh." And pressed herself up against his chest tighter.

"Have you got any calls from Lance?" May asked Dawn.

The blunette shook her head, her hair loose with the exception of the two pink clips in it. "He'll probably call your Pokegear. I can re-route it so that it calls here but it will take a while. We're a bit low on power."

"The electric Pokémon go on strike or something?"

Brock winced at the question. "No. We had to rescue some civilians on the Pewter outskirts. It was a water division of Team members. We were outnumbered so we had to call in the grass and electric units."

"I never understood…" May began, "What's the different between Team in general and Team Rocket?"

Dawn threw her hands in the air and she leaned back on her spinney chair. "Hell if I know. They're all ruled by Giovanni. Does it make much difference?"

The tanned man ran a hand through his hair. "Not really. Rockets are… were… and have always been with Team Rocket. Team refers to the opposition in general. Team United. Galactic, Magma, Aqua and…what's the other one?"

"No idea." Dawn shrugged, "They stick to their own regions. Galactic pretty much rules Sinnoh, Hoenn's pretty secure and safe… well I hope it is since we use it as an evacuation site, and Johto's fighting with us."

May's face creased into a frown. "So…" she began quietly. "Even if we win here… we still have to deal with the other regions."

Brock wrapped a reassuring arm around her. "I don't think that's the problem here."

"The world's dying." Dawn added, "There's no time. A pretty soon if there is no time… there's no us. It's been slow. The plants have been wilting under the black sky. The weather's more sporadic and gloomy than ever. Technology tends to short circuit. Sooner or later…" she stopped, closing her mouth abruptly.

May swallowed, "Yeah, well. We'll make it better – ya' got that? It'll all work out for the best – you'll see!"

* * *

><p><strong>[14:56PM] – 25<strong>**th**** May – Route 2 - Diglett's Cave – Unknown Level – May & Leaf (Ninetales, Glaceon, Jigglypuff, Ditto)**

"You could hide an army down here!" Leaf exclaimed, the door creaking open.

The single piece of wood separated the underground League building from the wild depths of the cavern. Behind them, noise of bustling officials could be heard, safe in the warmth and confides of the underground base.

May grumbled, "I still reckon we're wasting resources keeping the stuffy office people here. We should ship them to Hoenn and be done with it. Then we have a base between Mount Moon and Vermillion. We can already get to Cerulean via the north and the only isolated base is the small Viridian one." She took several cautious steps through into the cave, "But no. We need to keep the government in Kanto, so we waste food and guards looking after and baby-sitting them."

"They don't even do anything really." Leaf added, "Admittedly they probably ran the start of the war but since four years ago when SECTION took over, they haven't really been much help."

May pushed a lock of brown hair behind her ears, checking her blue bandana was still in place as she headed forwards, the golden cream fox skulking at her heels. The pale coat of the fire type shimmered in the shadows, some sort of inner light illuminating her coat in a soft glow, like a gentle night light. Behind Ninetales, Leaf switched on a torch, which flickered and died.

The ice fox and the pink balloon Pokémon crept closer to the warmth emanating from the fox's coat, even as Leaf began winding up the torch. May shot her an annoyed look as the annoying high pitched whine began to sound in the tunnels.

"Sorry." Leaf winced as she stubbed her finger on the handle. "I used it up in Mount Moon with Misty. When we were meeting Gary. It's pretty patheitic actaully - Clefable had to use flash most of the time." She gave a consolation shrug.

May nodded, turning, letting Ninetales pace ahead of her, illuminating the tunnel. Leaf closed the door behind them, shutting out the light streaming through from the base and plunging the cavern into shadows.

"It's so abandoned." Leaf murmured, as they passed digging tools and hard hats sitting on a pile of earth. ""Forgotten. Even the Diglett have gone."

"What if the tunnel collapses?" May asked, a hint of worry creeping into her voice.

"GlaCeon!" (Don't say that!) the ice type whined, jaded tail swirling through the dusty scattered soil. Her pupils were wide, flaring in the sole light sources in the darkness.

"Let's hope it doesn't."

"Yeah." May said, swallowing. On impulse, she checked her wrist communicator. It flashed a weak green light in the gloom, and the brunette observed the flat line for signal. She wasn't going to be getting any calls from Lance any time soon.

They were well, and truly, alone.

* * *

><p><strong>[14:56PM] – 25<strong>**th**** May – Route 2 – Viridian Forest – Brock and Gary (Kabutops, Umbreon)**

"This place creeps me out." Gary admitted dropping the weapon in his hand as a weedle scuttled past in the undergrowth.

"Don't blame you mate." Brock agreed, back to back with his fossil Pokémon as they edged forwards. "Every time we come in here something bad happens. Chased by Beedrils. Mauled by Fearow. We lost…" he swallowed, "It's cursed."

The researcher scoffed, "Or maybe it's just gone rabid. All the bug catchers who tamed the place ran. The trainers stopped coming through. The Pokémon grow stronger and stronger and well… yeah… wild."

"It's untameable now." Brock remarked as Kabutops swiped at a bramble bush in their path, "Take a lot of work."

Gary hummed as he walked forward, wincing as twigs cracked underfoot. "Hey. Brock." He called, quietly.

"Yeah?" the quint eyed man asked.

Gary was silent a few moments, trying to work out how to word it. "What do you think about making a last stand?"

Brows furrowed. "Last stand?"

"You know." Gary tried to explain, "Like a final movement in the war. Rise up and take control. We have the numbers and stand a chance. If we co-ordinate it with…" he fell silent after seeing the look on Brock's face. Sighing he swallowed and turned away.

"Your grandfather would have been disappointed with you. Wanting to send men into a war we don't have a chance of winning."

"We could co-ordinate it with resetting time. They'll be caught unawares and we'll have an advantage."

"Gary I'm not having this conversation with you. You know where I stand. For all means, go join Karen and Bruno in war talks. But trust me – you don't want to be doing this."

"It would also be a distraction – stop them guessing what we're really doing…"

"Gary!"

"Okay, okay, shutting up now. Blimey."

"BreEon Umbre Breon UmUmbr." (He's right you know.)

"Shut up Umbreon."

"Reon." (Sorry)

* * *

><p><strong>[14:56PM] – 25<strong>**nd**** May – Route 10 – Power Plant - Outside – Ash & Pokémon (Raichu, Eevee, Zorua, Lucario)**

There was silence on the hillside, the stream running past the dilapidated building without a sound. The trees moved, even though there was no wind, and the building seemed to shimmer with a golden glow. Sparks danced along the metal work, before fading, as the stream wound past, as silent as before.

There was a small rustling of static as the air warped above the grass, and the raven haired man stepped through, the land around him shimmering into broken fragments before just as suddenly as it appeared, they vanished, the landscape snapping back into crystal clear focus. Raichu let out a small 'chu' as he bashed his nose on the soil, tripping as he arrived on the plane. Behind him Va and Lucario appeared, silent and ready, followed by Zorua who tripped over Rai's prone form. For a moment the pair lay there in a heal, before the orange mouse's tail flicked and a spark of lightning made the dark fox yelp.

"Hey watch it!" Zo complained, as she danced out of the way of Rai's crackling cheeks. "Jeez – anyone would think you were newly evolved with the temper you have."

With a sniff Rai turned his back on her, tail thrashing. _"Yeah, and you'd know how?"_

"Shut it you guys." Ash snapped, as he walked away from them, towards the ruins of the Power Station. "You can argue later once we're out of this place."

"_I don't like it,"_ Lucario dutifully trotted at his master's heels. _"Can you hear that?"_

There was a pause.

"_I can't hear anything."_ Va bounded towards the raven haired man, brown fur fluffed up.

"_Exactly."_

* * *

><p><strong>[15:31PM] – 25<strong>**th**** May – Route 2 - Diglett's Cave – Unknown Level – May & Leaf (Ninetales, Glaceon, Jigglypuff, Ditto)**

"Ah hah!" Leaf crowed triumphantly, before her face fell in disappointment, "No, sorry – it's just a rock that looks gear shaped."

With a sigh she tossed it to the side, narrowly missing Ninetales who hopped out of the way with a bark. May kicked at a rock in frustration. "We're never going to find it!" she snapped, frustration taking over her, "This was stupid – whose idea was it to hide a gear in here anyway?"

The girl with the white hat frowned as she picked up an item. "I found a TM," she said, "It's not really what we're looking for though – is it?"

"Not really – unless it's something that helps us search for hidden items."

Leaf shook her head, glancing around, her eyes alighting on a small Pokémon near the ground. Ducking into a crouch, she reached out her hand. "Hey there little fella'," she cooed.

"What's that?" May asked, thinking Leaf was talking to her.

"It's a Diglett," the brunette called, "That's rare – you don't see many wild Pokémon nowadays. Aw – that's all right – you're a cute little Pokémon – aren't you?"

"LettDigg!" (Hello!) the mole Pokémon cooed as Leaf rubbed his earth covered back. It blinked at her with large dark eyes before turning and moving a metre or so away, then turning and looking back at her.

Leaf frowned, "What's the matter little guy?" she asked.

"TrapTrapInch." (Come with us!)

Blue eyes widened. "May!" Leaf called, "Come and look at this!"

The bandana wearing girl moved over, her Glaceon following at her heels. The ice fox paused, to greet a small Gible which had appeared from the shadows.

"Woah," May blinked, "It's like a ground type bonanza!"

"A what?" Leaf frowned, "But you're right about the ground typing through. And you know what – we're looking for the ground type gear – right?"

"Are we?" May asked, pausing to pet a rough scaled Sandshrew. "So what do you say little guy – any elemental gears around here?"

The Sandshrew let out a "Shrew!" (Of course!) and behind him a dark shape appeared through the gloom, curving scythes and gleaming red eyes.

Leaf stepped back in fright, and at her side, Ninetales bared her teeth, tails flaring out behind her like flames. The light emanating from the fire fox lit up the blue and red scaled dragon, the cave dwelling Gabite. It growled at them, before snapping some sort of command to the ground types surrounding them. There was a pause, as a Marowak vanished into the gloom before reappearing, holding something in its paw.

"SlashSandSlashLash," (You have to make things better,) the evolution of the Sandshrew May was stroking hopped forwards, trying to commicate something to them. Glaceon's ears pricked and the ice fox stepped forward.

"Ceo, Glace?" (Can we take it?)

With a growl the Gabite stepped forwards, claws bared, "GaGaBitBiteGabite!" (You have to fix things!)

The ice fox stepped back in alarm, nodding with a "Ceon GaGalah!" (Of course we will!)

The dragon and ground type stared at her for some time before nodding his head, stepping back and motioning to the Marowak to hand the item he was holding to her.

The ice type took it in her jaws gently, glancing once around them at the several dozen ground types, before trotting over to May and handing it to her.

"Thanks girl," May smiled, taking the soft bark bound item. She didn't need to unwrap it to feel the energy beneath her fingers, but she pulled away the covers just to make sure.

The gear was rough, like the feeling of soil beneath ones fingers. It didn't glow, like the other one, but reverberated with soft vibrations like footfalls through the earth. The gear was a soft brown which blended into russets and tans towards the edge.

Leaf glanced around at the ensemble Pokémon. "Thank you," she said, voice brimming with gratitude. "We'll bring it back to you – when we're finished – we promise."

The Gabite regarded her for a moment with his yellow sclera's. "Ga," he buffed, before turning and stalking off into the gloom.

As quickly as they had appeared, the rest of the Pokémon vanished, fading into the dark, burrowing into the soil and May and Leaf were left there in utter silence, save for the soft flickering flames of Ninetales and the small, round ground type gear in the possession.

* * *

><p><strong>[16:05PM] – 25<strong>**th**** May – Route 2 – Viridian Forest – Brock and Gary (Kabutops, Umbreon)**

"We're here," Gary announced, as he slid to a halt. His black fox hopped forwards, probing the ground with his paws, sniffing the air.

"Breo," he complained, red eyes flashing. (Weird.)

Brock looked around the small clearing, vines wrapping their way around trees and sheltering them entirely from the outside. "Where did you leave it?" he asked, even as the spiky haired researcher made his way over to a large oak tree at the far end of the forest. Behind him his fossil Pokémon shifted, glancing around at the silent trees.

"Kabuto TopKabu," (I don't like it) he grumbled, raising his scythes slightly.

Gary, not understanding either of the two Pokémon, crossed the clearing towards the oak tree at the far end. It was fair to say that the tree was most likely the king of the forest, with thick, knobbly roots and wide, arcing branches. Not a single leaf rustled as the researcher approached it, heading towards a crack in the trunk.

"Well that's appropriate," Brock noted, "Gary Oak hides a gear in an oak tree."

"Shut up," he snapped, reaching his hand into the crack with a wince, withdrawing it as soon as possible, a mossy covered emerald green stone that let out a low hum, like a buzzing combee.

Gary blinked at Brock. "Well that was easy," he said, slightly surprised, even as a large shape detached itself from the tree, purple wings outspread.

There was a loud cry as Umbreon threw a shadow ball at the Venomoth which hit the moth in the body, sending it crashing into the trees.

"UmberUmbree!" the dark type snapped (Let's get out of here!) even as Kabutops sliced through the air, knocking aside a Ninjask which was buzzing towards Brock.

The gym leader ducked under a Vespiqueen, "The bugs aren't happy!" he shouted, even as Gary appeared next to him.

"No shit?" the Viridian Gym Leader scoffed, "Well if you want to stay and hang around – fell free – I'm outta here! Umbreon do be careful!" he called to his Eevultion as it took a bug buzz. The dark type gritted its teeth, trying not to show its obvious bug type weakness, bounding towards the humans, his tail flicking a Scyther away with an iron tail.

For a moment Brock hesitated, even as he ducked under the Vespiqueen again, before Kabutops could use water gun on it. "Yeah, I think that's probably a good idea," he agreed.

It was final – Brock was never setting foot into Viridian Forest again. It seemed like Misty's fear of bugs had several well-grounded facts to go with it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN – I'm just going to run away from the angry mob and pitchforks and hope for the best.<strong>

**Seeya! Eclipse **


	14. Lost In Here

**Chapter 14 – Lost In Here**

_"Demons run when a Good Man goes to war. Night will fall and drown the sun when a Good Man goes to war. Friendship dies and true love lies. Night will fall and the dark will rise. Demons run, but count the cost. The battle is won but the child is lost." (River Song - Doctor Who – 6.6 - When A Good Man Goes To War)_

_"It took a moment before I lost myself in here. It took a moment where I could not be found. Again and again and again I see your face in everything. It took a moment, a moment it could not be found." - Echelon - 30 Seconds To Mars_

* * *

><p><em><strong>[19:54PM] – Unknown Date – Approximately five years before main plot– Somewhere between Route 5 and Route 7<strong>_

_Lance stopped, his eyes barely concealing his frustration. "Damn it!" he hissed, "We're trapped!" The rock face stared mockingly at them. The champion stepped forward, looking at the seemingly impossible cliff wall. "There must be a way," he gritted his teeth._

_Ash stared at the ground, his eyes swirling with emotion. He shook his head calmly, still not looking at his friend. "There isn't a way,"_

_Lance whirled towards him, confused. He opened his mouth to question but a cry makes him stop._

"_Rockets approaching from behind!"_

_Ash was still. The rest of the group moved backwards to fend of the approaching enemy. Lance looked once more at the cliff face._

"_It's a trap Lance. There's no way out," Ash's voice was monotone, emotionless and cold. On his shoulder the small golden mouse pressed himself to his masters head, muttering words of comfort._

_Lance stiffened, "You were meant to be leading us to Celadon. How could you get lost?" He was confused and his eyes puzzled._

_Ash shook his head again, "I'm not lost. This was always our destination."_

_It takes a couple of moments for realisation to sink in. And even then the champion didn't understand. He glanced again at the rock wall, as if it would hold the answers for him. Then he whirled around, his fist flying out and he punched the raven haired man in the face._

_Ash didn't protest as he was knocked backwards. He staggered under the impact but stayed standing. Pikachu leapt down from his shoulder, landing lightly on the ground, chirping to the two men, to tell them to stop fighting, but they didn't pay any attention. Ash's was bleeding and he rubbed his jaw but just glared at his best friend. He had nothing to say._

_Lance's eyes widened. His cloak swirled around his legs as he stepped forward, "You led them here? A slaughter? You purposely led us here to be slaughtered?"_

_Ash stayed silent._

_Now the red haired man flew into a vicious rage, stepping forwards in anger, his fists clenched. "Traitor," he hisses through his teeth. "You lying traitor! How long? How long have you been passing secrets to Team Rocket? How long have you been going behind our backs?"_

_Ash's eyes were dark. "Three months. But if you get it through your thick skull and…"_

_Lance tried to punch him again but the raven haired man dodged. "You don't understand," the man tried to defend himself. "You don't see it do you?" He gritted his teeth, hissing through them. The agony was evident in his voice but the champion over looked it, throwing his hands out either side of him._

"_See what?" The dragon master's voice rose in volume, "How you idiot double crossed us?" The two men had begun to circle each other warily, eyes never leaving the other._

_Ash's face flashed with pain. "They know everything Lance. This rebellion is falling before it has even begun. There are spies in every layer of our system, every department… you really think we stood a chance?"_

"_We did before you changed sides!"_

_The raven haired man flinched. "If you can just get it into your thick skull…"_

"_Traitor!"_

"_They killed her! My own mother! You said she was safe in Pallet with guards! But what do they do? They bomb the town? What was I supposed to do!" his lip curled, "Nothing you do is top secret. They know everything anyway!" His voice was bitter._

_Lance shook his head, "You could have told us. We could have turned this onto them!"_

"_Lance!" The two circling men turned to see a ginger haired girl racing towards them. Misty's turquoise eyes were wide with panic._

_She shook her head, her hair flying, "There are too many of them! We've lost half the men already! We're doomed,"_

_Lance's head snapped around to Ash, "Thanks to you," he snapped._

_Misty was surprised. She skidded to a halt her head glancing from one man to the other and then back. "What?" she asked, slightly stupidly._

"_Ask the traitor why we're here, waiting to be slaughtered!?" Lance growled, his eyes seething with fury._

_Misty shook her head, trying to deny it. "Lance? Ash? What are you talking about? A traitor?"_

_"Yes - him!" Lance glared at the raven haired man, "I thought you were my friend!"_

_Again Misty shook her head, "No, Ash. It's not true; tell me it's not true,"_

_The raven haired man bowed his head, unable to reply._

_Lance was still ranting, "You could have told us. We could have helped you. You can't deal with everything on your own! I'm meant to be your best friend!"_

_Now Ash's head snapped up, anger written in his eyes, "Yeah, my best friend who is so wonderful he's cheating with my girlfriend," he snarled, sarcasm lacing his bitter words._

_Lance and Misty's face mirrored each other's emotions. Shock. Regret. Panic. Denial._

_The aura guardian curled his lip, "Yeah, I thought so. You thought I didn't know what was going on? That I was just an idiot? You don't know anything…" His voice cracked._

_(They live. He dies.)_

"_No, Ash, it's not how you think. Seriously. We aren't together…" Misty tried to protest. One look in his eyes made her stop. He knew it was a lie. She fell silent._

_A shot rang out and the last man fighting fell. Pounding feet told of the arrival of multiple rockets. Lance and Misty didn't try to fight as they were surrounded. Only Ash stood at ease._

_A man with short brown hair strolled to the centre. He smirked at the three of them and his gaze drifted to Ash, "Good job Ash. That dealt with them all right." He smiled._

_Lance snapped at the Team Rocket leader, "We were talking here!" He turned to Ash, "We stopped Ash. We broke it up - It was only a short time. It wasn't meant to happen!"_

_Ash's eyes were cold, "That's what they always say," A pained smiles flickered on his face, "I really don't care anymore."_

_(Maybe it's better like this.)_

_Misty stepped forwards, "Ash please…"_

"_So you turn traitor because of this?" Lance gestured around him, confused, interrupting Misty._

"_No," The girl was still trying to deny it, "Why?"_

_Giovanni watched with amusement but now he seemed to grow bored, "Can you lot just stop bickering," he complained, holding his ears, "I've got a way to settle arguments like this," His ice blue eyes turned to his grunts. "Kill the champion and the woman."_

"_No!" Ash stepped forwards, glaring at the leader, Pikachu at his heels, cheeks sparking. "That wasn't our deal," he hissed, "You promised that they'd go free. You wouldn't hurt them!"_

"_What?" Lance exclaimed but was ignored. His gaze switched between the two. Since when had this been over his life?_

_(Since when had they been playing this game?)_

_Giovanni smirked. "I did say that, didn't I?" He blinked, "Well I've changed my mind,"_

_His hand twitched._

_(The price of losing was far to high.)_

_A shot rang out._

_Misty screamed._

* * *

><p><em><strong>[22:15PM] – Unknown Date – Approximately five years before main plot – Cerulean Base<strong>_

"_Oh good," Gary said, distracted typing something into his computer, "You're back – how was the missio – what the hell happened?" he exclaimed, turning to find Misty and Lance limping in, accompanied by three trainers, battered and bruised. Blue eyes evaluated the scenes and he cursed, "What happened?" he repeated._

_Lance sank into a conveniently placed sofa, waving the men off to the medical room. Misty flopped down beside him, but stayed the other side, as far away as possible. "It was a trap," he breathed, closing his eyes, "Ash led us into a trap."_

_The Viridian gym leader frowned, "What do you mean he led you into a trap? They knew you were coming? Blocked the route or something?" There was a choked sob from the red head and the researcher glanced at her, and then back to the champion. "Lance," he said, voice dropping._

_There was a long silence._

"_Ash has been feeding information to Team Rocket for the past few months."_

_Another pause, to let the information sink in._

"_What? No way – he wouldn't do that. This is Ash we're talking about..."_

_"Yeah? Well I know what I saw Gary."_

_"But... Ash?"_

"_They killed his mother."_

"_The Pallet bombings? That… oh crap… seriously? But we managed to get most people out… the Pokémon… my grandfather…"_

"_His mother died," Misty whispered, "They killed everyone just to prove they could. He… the deal…" she fell silent again._

_The red head opened his eyes, looking tiredly at Gary, "There was some sort of deal. Me and Misty were to be kept safe. We weren't to be harmed. Giovanni didn't listen and… and…"_

"_They shot him."_

_Gary leaned back, clenching his fists, "And Pikachu? He didn't have any other Pokémon with him… did he?"_

_There was a weak shake of his head. "The rat stayed with him. He…" Lance fell silent, before with great effort, spoke up, "Me and Misty… we had an affair… about four months back… it was only for about two weeks and we stopped but… Ash found out…"_

_He broke off at the fist which cracked into his nose. Letting out a gasp of pain, he reached up, trying to stop the sudden flow of blood. Gary was glaring at him, "You deserved that," the Viridian leader spat, "Champion or no – that was a down right idiotic selfish and cruel thing to do to him."_

"_We stopped!" Misty protested, "There was nothing there – it was always Ash! I just… I couldn't cope and he wasn't there…"_

_Gary shook his head, sighing, "Don't try to justify it. What's done is done… I just wish… Mew he's dead isn't he?"_

_Pause._

"_We don't know." Lance admitted. "He told us to get out of there and we did. He's an aura guardian – isn't he? He should… be all right… shouldn't he?"_

"_I need to apologise," Misty whispered, "Because it was real… with him… and he probably thinks it was all a lie. It's not – it never was…" She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself._

_Gary stared at the pair of them before standing and walking away, "I'll get a team on it," he called over his shoulder, "We must be able to find something…"_

* * *

><p><em><strong>[13:22PM] – Unknown Date – Approximately five years before main plot – Cerulean Base<strong>_

"_So… do you remember anything?" Misty asked the raven haired man. He looked lost somehow, without his memories, and with only the pathetic scrap of brown fur and yellow mouse at his side._

_Ash shrugged, "Bits. It's all jumbled together but… it sort of makes sense when I think about some things. Such as… you like water…Pokémon… right? You… you have sisters? This weird guy tried to flirt with them… there was a giant vacuum cleaner…" he frowned, "No, that can't be right."_

_Misty let out a laugh, smiling. "You used to get stalked by these three idiots who wanted to steal your Pikachu. They used to come up with all kind of crazy ideas."_

"_They had this annoying… rhyme… they used every time I met them." Ash frowned._

"_Yup – they called it a motto but it was their chance to show off really. What else?" the red head prompted._

"_I don't know." The trainer blinked, shaking his head, "Things come and go. It feels like I'm looking at someone else's life… not mine. But… you and that red headed guy – are you close?"_

_Pain welled up in the Cerulean gym leaders eyes. She had hoped he wouldn't remember this so quickly. That she would have time to explain, to reassure him, to tell him that she loved him. That she had been an idiot and she would understand if he hated her, but he was still the only one, he also had been and always would be..._

_She was suddenly aware that Ash had stopped walking._

* * *

><p><strong>[15:43PM] – 25<strong>**nd**** May – Route 10 – Power Plant – Second Floor – Ash & Pokémon (Raichu, Eevee, Zorua, Lucario)**

"Rai-Ai," for the third time since they had entered the ruins of the power station, Raichu let out a cry of pain from the static in the walls and floor – in the very fibre of the building's being – so long had it been under the constant presence of the electric types. It was sucking the very power out of the electric mouse.

"All right that's it," Ash snapped, picking the hapless mouse up by the scruff of his neck and setting Rai on his shoulder. "You stay there and don't get down for anything – got it."

"Chu!" the mouse complained, (No way!) "RaiAiChuKa." (I can do this – I'm not weak!)

"I never said you were," Ash replied calmly, "That's why I never evolved you – remember? Because you were an amazing Pikachu and you wanted to show you were strong without evolving. Which you did – again and again!"

The mouse's ears drooped. "AiaKaa," he whined. (I never wanted to evolve)

Ash sighed, "I know. But it's done now. Zekrom did the right thing."

The mouse's tail lashed as Ash continued walking, the black jackal at his heels, red eyes peeled.

"Don't be like that!" Zorua complained, "You're worse than when I first met you in Sinnoh!"

The grumpy mouse ignored her again.

"Come on Rai!" Ash coaxed, "Once we've gotten through this I'll find some ketchup for you – sound good?"

The orange rat 'chu'ed softly, before hopping to Ash's other shoulder. The dark type shot him a look, frowning. "You know Ash – I think it's the power plant – it's probably increasing his electrical discharge like that thunderstone did."

The raven frowned, "But the thunderstone was reacting with his light ball. The combined electrical input was making him sick and so Zekrom helped him to evolve. He should be able to manage the higher voltages now he's not a Pikachu anymore."

The dark furred jackal stopped, growling, "LucaRio Rio Luca Luca IoRio?" (Wasn't the Kanto Power Plant meant to be a home to Zapdos?)

Zorua let out a startled squeak, her form shimmering as she unconsciously changed into a small Shinx, "But that means it's not the power plant holding all this electricity – it's the legendary! And it's annoying Rai because…"

"Because the high electricity is what usually gives Raichu a bad mood." Ash finished, even as the small tattered eared Eevee skidded down the wreckage of some stairs in front of them.

"Va?" Ash asked, even as the small brown normal type shimmered into a Jolteon, before morphing into a Leafeon. Va's brown eyes were wide, and she opened her mouth to reply, even as the stairs behind her were hit with an attack, crumbling them into rubble.

Lucario leapt backwards, away from the debris with a growl. Ash put a hand in front of his face, a blue shield blossoming, as Raichu clung to his shoulder, yellow cheeks sparking.

Va skidded to a halt, Flareon flames now dancing around her neck, _"It's Zapdos! He's gone mad! The gears up there and he's not letting anyone get to it!"_ The flames died and morphed back into electric spikes, _"The Team came up here to capture him, and they injured him. There's this device…"_

She was interrupted by a large crash. In his alarm, Ash stumbled backward, Raichu dislodged from his shoulder, hitting the floor with a loud thump. Instantly, he let out a cry of pain, yellow sparks dancing from the metal floor to his orange fur. Lucario growled in alarm, blue protect shield flashing up, saving him and Va, who had crouched nearby, from the dust and rubble. The Flareon let out a whine of anxiety, looking for her mate, even as she shimmered into an Umbreon and back to a Leafeon. With all the stray electricity sparks she didn't dare attempt a water type.

Zapdos was a flying type, she realised, fur become frigid and ice cold as it crusted pale blue. "Gla!" she called, dark blue eyes searching for the orange mouse, "_Gla!_ Ceo! Eo!" (Rai! _Rai!_ Ash! Zo!)

There was a loud cough as Zorua appeared out of the gloom, "Hurry! We need to get the gear! Distract the bird!" she coughed, even as her form shimmered into purple and there was a rather large a menacing Garchomp which replaced her form. The ground type ignored the static sparks, as with a growl, she threw herself into the rubble in search of Rai.

The Glaceon leapt forwards, Lucario just a pace ahead of her as he took a leap for the stairs. The Glaceon shimmered into an Espeon, red jewel flashing red as her eyes glowed purple, the crumbling stairs stopping their descent to allow her to leap up, from rock to rock. As she reached the top, she morphed again, back into the ice fox.

With a growl, Va sent ice shard flying forwards, towards where her friend stood, in front of the legendary electric bird. "Ceo!" she cried. (Ash!) The raven haired man glanced behind him; teleporting out of the way as the ice shards flew past, burying themselves into the fearsome bird's wings.

With a growl, Lucario dissolved his bone rush, forming instead a dark pulse. It pulses black against his dark fur, even as Va darted past in a quick attack, trying to get closer.

In front of her the legendary Zapdos loomed, wings outspread, feathers like needles, crackling with electricity. The fox let out a cry as a bolt cracked into the floor in front of her, eyes widening at the rocks tumbling towards her. No way! How come Zapdos was allowed to learn ancient power?

Her trainer materialised in front of her, blue shield deflecting the attack as he offered her up a weak grin. _"Try to get behind it. I'll keep him distracted."_

"_Umbreon?" _she asked, even as the air around her seemed to shimmer.

"_Yup – use a faint attack. How's Rai?"_

For a moment her shifting failed, before her fur turned black and her blue eyes turned red. _"Not good. He's a bit overcharged. Garchomp Zo went to search for him."_

Her trainer nodded, even as she slipped away, melting into the shadows with a snarl as she bounded behind the large bird, heading straight for the yellow gear, sparkling with static. Making a leap for it, her paws outstretched, she yelped in surprise as a bolt of lightning flickered towards her. In her shock, her form shimmered back into a Glaceon, and it hit her, deflecting off without doing much damage to the now ice-type.

There was a flash as something streaked past her, orange fur and a long tail. _"Rai!"_ she cried, in mixed joy and confusion as the mouse threw himself at the gear, hooking his lightning bolt tail through the central hole as he bounded away, just missing an ancient power which was shooting towards him.

With an angry screech, Zapdos landed, beak stabbing down towards her. With a snarl, Va dodged out the way, shooting an ice beam at the bird. It caught the pin feathers, freezing them in ice. The legendry let out a shriek of anger, beak widening in what looked horribly like a hyper beam.

"_Thieves! Vandals! Accursed vermin!"_ Zapdos's mental shriek made the Glaceon's mind hurt, as she cowered away from the incoming attack. Suddenly, the gaping maw snapped shut as a ground type of sorts leapt onto the birds head, slipping slightly with a squeak as her form faded and the dark type fox rolled off to the ground, landing in front of Va.

"_Great plan,"_ she snarled at the dark fox.

Zo looked affronted_, "Yeah? Well next time I won't help you out!"_

"_Luca! Catch!"_ The orange mouse called, from where Zapdos had turned his attention to the gear. With a flick of his tail he sent the gear spiralling through the air, where with a graceful slide, the black jackal caught it neatly in his jaws.

"_It tastes disgusting,"_ the jackal complained, eyes glowing blue as he used psychic to toss some debris at the raving avian. With a squawk of alarm, it flung itself into the air, wings knocking Va backwards in a great flurry of lightning and feathers.

Ash was standing near Rai, and a blue shield could be seen, protecting the mouse from the worse of the excess electricity. The raven haired man looked like he'd been thrown into a wall, but already the wounds were healing. The Glaceon's ears pressed back against her head as she darted across to the pair.

Luca spat the gear from his mouth, wincing slightly at the static sparks still buzzing across the surface. For a moment, before he passed it to Ash, the electric type gazed at it, eyes wide and yellow cheeks sparking. There was a mix of wonder and sadness in his eyes, before their trainer grabbed it with a grateful "Great job," and slipped it into a pocket, where it fell against the other seven gears with a clatter.

Wow – they were getting quite a collection.

"Hyper beam incoming!" Zorua cried, skidding towards them, purple Illusion basking her form as her fur danced with colour, but she remained a little purple and red fox.

Above them, spread eagled with wings outspread, the lightning deity let out a loud cry, eyes mad with grief and pain. The Titans had fallen and its brothers were incapable of doing anything. Criminals had left their mark, and it could barely find the semblance of thought to realise he was fighting his father's chosen. Great beak opening, the yellow hyper beam began to form, turning orange as it grew in size.

The black furred jackal tried to create a protect, but it fizzled and died. Around them, the air was thrumming with power, growing ever greater.

"_Come on! What are you waiting for?" _Va turned to her master_ "Create a shield! You can? Can't you?"_

Ash opened his mouth, glancing at his best friend, whip like tail flickering. "I can't." he choked, before finishing the sentence mentally, _"If I make a shield to protect us from the attack, I have to kill the one stopping the electricity getting to Rai. I can't do both."_

"_And if the electricity gets to him?" _Luca growled, trying and failing once again to use protect, blood red eyes widened in alarm.

"He'd be overpowered," Zo whispered.

"_It would be too much,"_ Ash finished, eyes wide as he looked upwards at the hyper beam, now glowing red. _"I have a plan," _he told them, _"But I don't know where we're going to end up."_

None of his four Pokémon said anything. There was the horrible second where the hyper beam hovered over them, red and yellow, streaming down on them, and then the world exploded into shattered fragments.

"_Hold on tight."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN – Don't hate Misty or Lance for that extract I did up there! Please! I mean… it's pretty obvious Ash forgave them and all isn't it! It's all in the past anyway! Don't kill them! Or Ash for the traitor thing! They both made mistakes! I love them in this story! It's Pokeshipping anyway, and maybe a little bit of whatever you call MayxLance shipping. And GreenXBlue (aka Gary and Leaf) because it's practically a given couple in my opinion. Did anyone notice the manga reference (He definitely called her 'pesky girl' in the previous chapter somewhere? (I think it's called oldrivalshipping).<strong>

**I'm sorry for any grammar errors in this. If anyone sees any stupid errors feel free to point them out :) Also I had the flashbacks planned for ages. Originally they were going to be a story on their own, before I started this plot. I wrote this war story where Ash ended up in a lab without his memory. Sound familiar? Well... when I started writing this one and I was several chapters in when I thought 'Hey! They fit together so perfectly so why not!?'.**

**I'm thinking of making the characters older. Although I have stated that eighteen is about the equivalent to 25, 20 is about 30 and 25 is probably equivalent to 35. Since the kids go on a journey at 10 (I mean seriously - who lets kids at 10 go out unsupervised to be stalked by criminals and to train wild animals!) so I would make the approximately 16. So in summary…  
><strong>**Pokémon World Age– Our World Age  
><strong>**10 – 16  
><strong>**15 – 18  
><strong>**18 – 25  
><strong>**20 – 30  
><strong>**25 – 35  
><strong>**40 – 100  
><strong>**I'm assuming people usually only live to be about 30, 35-ish.  
><strong>**Gee it would have been so much easier is the kids weren't all ten years old in the anime. At least in the games you can pretend they're 16 or so.**

**So going by the ages I gave in the first chapter or so that would make them (according to our world) May 22, Dawn 20, Leaf 23, Misty 26, Ash 26, Lance 28, Max 17, Brock 28 – which actually makes things more reasonable. Remember these are only approximations - I don't actually have a timeline anywhere to help me out on this.**

**So, ignoring the little rant about ages (which was more for my benefit than yours because I forgot how old I made Ash, Lance and Misty :S) I hope you enjoy the chapter! **

**~ Eclipse out (before I babble on for much longer!)**


	15. Sheer Cold

**Chapter 15 – Sheer Cold**

"_Crowded streets all drift away – one by one. Hollow heroes separate as they run. You're so cold keep your hand in mine. Wise men wonder while strong men die." – Breaking Benjamin – So Cold_

_"Thou art all ice. Thy heart freezes." —William Shakespeare_

* * *

><p><strong>[12:10PM] – 25<strong>**rd**** May – Route 19 – Seafoam Waters – Misty & Pokémon (Gyrados, Golduck, Pichu)**

"You're a funny little guy," the red head spoke to the small electric mouse which she had fished from the sea a few days before. She had been sailing past Route 12 and the Silent Bridge, when she had caught sight of the yellow creature, struggling beneath the waves. Instructing her Golduck to retrieve it, she had been introduced to the small, hyperactive Pichu which had been her entertainment for much of the three day journey to Seafoam Islands.

"Pi!" the small creature chirped happily, dancing around of Gyra's head much to the Atrocious Pokémon's annoyance. The sea monster was cruising in the air, about two metres above the eerily calm waves. To the north, the land which must be Vermillion could be seen, shimmering in the distance. But Misty's destination lay to the south west, a small cluster of rocks which marked out the Seafoam Islands.

She wasn't really sure why they were called islands when the majority of them were more like underwater caverns. They loomed up in front of her, faster than she would have liked, and before she knew it, the sea monster had descended to the ocean, pausing on the edge of the rocky outcrop. A few metres away sat a cave entrance, dark and ominous.

Misty was really beginning to hate caves.

* * *

><p><strong>[19:22PM] – Unknown Date – Approximately Five Years before – Cerulean Base – About two months after the lab incident<strong>

_"You betrayed us!"_

_"You betrayed me!"_

_"You can't even remember!"_

_"Doesn't change what happened!"_

_"No, it doesn't. And I betrayed you and you betrayed me so there - we're even all right! We made stupid mistakes and I regret every second of it!"_

_The raven haired man fell silent, eyes wide and lost, the blue lightning until they were almost grey, stormy emotions swirling within. Finally he sighed, "Until I can remember everything this conversation is over," he spat, whirling around and turning away from her._

_Misty thought her heart broke then - just a little._

* * *

><p><strong>[12:24PM] – 25<strong>**rd**** May – Route 19 – Seafoam Island – Caves – Second Level – Misty & Pokémon (Gyrados, Golduck, Pichu)**

The little yellow baby Pokémon skipped along happily, chirping a little song as they walked along. Misty took a moment to examine the electric type, pausing for a moment in thought about the gender. At first she had though the mouse was a boy, but she could see the nick in the tail that indicated a female of the Pikachu evolutionary line. It was the ear that had put her off, the fur spiking up in three black clumps.

If anything it was unusual but Misty didn't have the time to analyse the little Pokémon's story. She had decided to join Misty and that was that.

But the gym leader really needed to stop mentally calling the mouse a 'he'.

The red head had been quick to descend to the icy layer of the second level of caves. She winced as she slipped on the ice, crashing into a blue ice encrusted rock. Really, was she expected to skate around to get anywhere?

The giant blue scaled sea monster had been left outside, beaching himself comfortably on the warm rocks, curling up in exhaustion from the long three day journey south along the coast. Golduck stalked just ahead of her, leading the way, the slight purple glow to his eyes the only clue that he was using psychic. "So," Misty spoke, trying to ignore the echoes, "Where did you come from little guy…uh… little girl?"

The only other reason she was positive it was a girl was the white ice flower the mouse had stuck behind her spiky tipped ear. The rodent in question let out a happy chirp, brown eyes bright.

Misty nodded, chewing her lip, "Since I can't understand you, I'll ask you a question and you either nod or shake your head."

Another chirp.

"Yeah, well so are you from around Vermillion?"

To her surprise the little mouse actually shook her head.

"Lavender?"

Another shake.

"Cerulean? Viridian? Pewter? Saffron?" she ventured at last, receiving a positive, "Oh that must have been horrible – we're you with the Team?" The little electric type responded with a negative, "The rebels?" A shrug, "A gym leader?" Nod, "Sabrina?" Nod. "Really?" Shrug. "Oh, were there others as well? Surge? No…uh… Janine? Brock? Blaine? It is a Kanto gym leader right? Hmm… oh, I know – Erika! Yes! And who else? Dragon? Oh, you mean Lance. And… Shadow? Uh… right… did you have fun with them? They rescued you? Oh, that's nice. The… you liked the older evolution of yourself – a Pikachu? No… Raichu – that's cute… oh – like a big brother kind of way? Why's that? He had a mate… what do you mean an Eevee-Espeon-Umbreon? Did they leave you? No… you ran away from them – why? Oh, you were scared – is that how you ended up on Silent Bridge?"

Misty paused, trying to decipher the long string of syllables. From being around _his_ Pikachu for so long most of the words were translatable, especially with the exaggerated mimes and squeaks. But the garbled mess about 'explosion boom! Grass run and shadow vanish with big brother and aura follow me scared boom bong bell."

With a small laugh, Misty scooped up the little baby Pokémon, holding her to her chest, as she did so long ago with Togepi. "You sound like you had quite an adventure!" she complimented.

"PiChu!" the mouse squeaked, yawning slightly.

From up ahead Golduck paused sharply, turning to his trainer, "GolDuck!" he called.

The red headed Cerulean gym leader hurried over, trying not to slip on the icy floor, "Great job," she complimented her Pokémon, and he beamed with pride. Her fond gaze switching to the gloomy stairs she had found, "Lorelei should be down there then… that is if she chose Soafoam Islands as her haunt. But we've been all around the coast and this is the most likely place until we get to Cinnabar."

Misty began to descend the stairs when her blue feathered duck pulled her back sharply. "Gold!" he quacked and Misty stepped back away from the gaping abyss in alarm. The rocky stairs only went a few feet down into darkness before they fell away, crumbling into dust. Below Misty could see the next cave level, about three metres down.

"ChuKaa!" with a squeak, Chu hopped out of her eyes, scurrying over to where a rope ladder was nailed into the rock. She jumped up and down happily in front of it.

"Great job Pichu!" Misty congratulated, before following the female Pichu down the ladder and into the gloom. A shiver ran up Misty's spine and she felt a great sense of relief that she wasn't going to be meeting any bug type Pokémon down there.

The second level was similar to the first, coated with slippery ice which sent Chu skidding across the shiny surface. Misty followed more carefully with Golduck now bringing up the rear, giving a growl to some wild Dewgong that lurked in the shadows.

"There's another layer right?" Misty asked the silence, as she made her way up a rise and back down again, spotting another dark hole in the floor, "Do you think we'll find Lorelei down there?"

A part of Misty wanted to meet the ice type elite again, her awe of the amazing water and ice type trainer still present. The other part was scared stiff – she had seen what the elites could do when angry – Lance's Dragonite had levelled half a forest while Ash's Charizard had burnt his way through her and Brocks type effective Pokémon with ease, before going to sleep on their last Pokémon. It had been extremely embarrassing when her Milotic and Brock's Rhyperior had been knocked out by a carelessly flick of his tail, and the red head had been convinced it was a dragon tail in disguise.

The elites were the powerhouses behind the League, and now behind SECTION. Agatha the ghost type specialist, Karen the dark mistress, Bruno, the fighting giant, Will the psychic, Lorelei, the ice queen, Lance, the dragon master, Koga, the poison ninja and _him_. Of course. Who else? The lightning lord. He'd made champion at only fourteen before stepping down into the elites. _**(Eighteen according to the 'our world equivelent' rant)**_

Life was good.

Then the war began.

Misty shivered slightly as she descended another level, pausing to look around wide eyed at the small network of canal and rocks in the bottom cavern. Next to her Golduck hopped down some steps, etched into the rock, wading into the water. "Can we surf?" Misty asked him, and he nodded, as she cautiously dabbed her fingers into the water.

Freezing.

Gritting her teeth and forcing herself to pull off her extra warm layers, stuffing them in her waterproof backpack, Misty stripped down to the usual swimming gear she wore underneath. She was a water type gym leader. She wouldn't let something as fickle as cold water get in her way.

About ten minutes later she was regretting that mind-set, as she stumbled shivering out of the water. Pausing for a moment, just to hear her teeth clattering together, Misty pulled on her clothes, sinking into the soft and warm cloth. Pichu hopped onto her shoulder, pressing her body against the red head neck, trying to warm her up.

Slinging her backpack onto her shoulder, Misty paused to look around, deciding which path to pick in the gloom. In the shadows a shape danced, and her Golduck spun around warily, opening his mouth to let out a cry, but the warning came to late.

An ice cold hand clamped down over Misty's mouth, before pulling her into the shadows.

* * *

><p><strong>[19:22PM] – Unknown Date – Approximately Five Years before – Cerulean Base – About two months after the lab incident – Ash? (Eevee, Pikachu)<strong>

_There were times when he woke up again, not knowing who he was. That always scared him the most, and he would spend the next hour or so with Pikachu and Eevee talking, solidifying facts and names and images in his mind. There were still gaping holes, and the fact there was nothing there was actually preferable to those half faded, but he didn't tell anyone that._

_He wasn't sure what the pretty red haired girl meant to him. There was an overwhelming sense of betrayal which was bitter and frustrated, mixed with endearment, or maybe it was just pain, that was hidden under layers and layers of indifference. The champion kept staring at him, seeming to want to say something but could never find the words. After their first meeting…well… as far as he could remember it was the first, although he knew it wasn't for Lance popped up a lot in his memories, but he had no reference to judge the situation, but at the time when he had been lost, and memories still torn away . Needless to say the champion, looking for his friend who wasn't there and the aura guadian with no sense of identity had gotten along thrillingly well. That is to say, they had argued._

_Half the words weren't his and the other half weren't either. It didn't take long before Eevee darted forward in a snarl, black ear twitching and his Dragonair had appeared, writhing and flailing._

_They had battled, and he would have said it was a six on six except he didn't feel right, instructing Pokémon he knew, yet at the same time didn't really – ghosts of someone else's life. But Va and Pika were quite enough as it turned out to take down four of Lance's dragons – his Dragonair, Aerodactyle, Altaria and they were working on the Salamence when Blue had broken up the fight._

_No wait… his name was Gary…_

_The thing he hated the most was the pity – the looks people sent him when they thought he wasn't looking, even when he could feel the emotion pouring out of them._

_Well… he said that was the worst thing… he might have lied a bit about that…_

_The worst thing was the teleporting. He hadn't told anyone._

_He wasn't planning on it._

_Most people must have just assumed he got very good at disappearing, even as he unconsciously split dimensions, pulling himself and his Pokémon through and out again. He didn't even think about it, and the hardest thing was not doing it without realising, when he stepped back in alarm. He had once, but the blue haired Platinum…_

_No wait… her name was Dawn…_

_The hyper co-ordinater hadn't even noticed so engrossed she was in telling him all about contests. He had been back before she noticed he had gone._

_And so things remained Sapphire and Platinum regaling his in epic tales of adventure… Lance avoiding him… Misty alternating between stalking his movements and vanishing from his sight… Blue insulting him… Pikachu stealing ketchup… Eevee hiding… pictures began to creep back slowly, sometimes with, and sometimes without the annotations to go with them. _

_Some things would never come back, and others… well – he would have to wait and see._

* * *

><p><strong>[12:24PM] – 25<strong>**rd**** May – Route 19 – Seafoam Island – Caves – Second Level – Misty & Pokémon (Gyrados, Golduck, Pichu)**

"Get of me!" Misty screamed, although it came out mumbled. With a cry she drove her elbow backwards, trying to nail her attacker in the gut but they sidestepped.

With a cry, Chu let out a thunderbolt, and the water trainer winced as her attacker let her go. Being used to Pikachu's attacks, Misty was first to recover, as she knocked her head backwards, hitting the nose of the person behind her, even as she twisted, breaking the hold.

"Golduck – hyper… Lorelei!" she gasped, seeing the reddy purple hair in the light of the sparking electricity. "It's you? Lorelei Prima?" she asked, voice uncertain as the woman shook of the attack, standing, narrowing her dark eyes at Misty from behind her glasses.

"You're the Cerulean gym leader," Lorelei spat, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Misty breathed, nervously, "We've been collecting the time gears from around the region and rumour has it that A…" she choked on the name, "That you were given one," she amended.

Prima curled her lip, "How did you find me?" she asked, and behind her Misty could see a Cloyster and Dewgong lurking in the shadows.

Misty answered honestly, aware of her Golduck beside her and Chu on the floor in front of her. "I followed the coast. I thought… you're an ice type specialist and if you weren't in Cerulean and hadn't gone home to the islands then you'd be in Seafoam."

The purple haired woman scoffed, "I'm not joining the war," she spat, "I heard what happened four years ago. You're boyfriend died didn't he?" she mocked, softly, and Misty hid the wince.

"He died fighting," she spat, "Unlike you – you coward! The least you can do is give me the gear and I'll leave you alone to freeze down here!"

Prima adjusted her glasses, "Then you can die a fool like Ash did – is that what you want? You know how many time gears there are?"

"Seventeen."

Lorelei looked mildly impressed, "Do you know what type mine is?"

"It's not yours!" Misty snapped, "Ash found! He only gave it to you to look after because you were hiding down here!"

"What type?"

"Ice."

"Do you have any others?"

"The bug, psychic and ground type. I have the water type with me."

In the shadows her Dewgong hopped forwards, something in its mouth. "Do you even know where to take them?" Lorelei asked, scathingly, her stance not changing.

"No." Misty said, standing up tall, "But we're finding it out."

For a long moment Lorelei considered the water type trainer in front of her before turning carelessly, snapping her fingers towards the Dewgong, "You can have it. Do what you want with it – I don't care."

Misty took the ice cold white stone from the dual type's mouth. It was cold to the touch, but the white sparked blue under her fingers. "Thank you." She said, gratefully, "I'll leave now."

"Yes," Prima didn't look at her, "You do that."

Misty stared at her icons back for several seconds before curling her lip and turning away, stalking off. Some hero she was.

She didn't look back.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:24PM] – 25<strong>**rd**** May – Route 19 – Seafoam Island – Caves – Second Level – Misty & Pokémon (Gyrados, Golduck, Pichu)**

She didn't see the pair of rockets until she almost walked right into them.

Misty had successfully made it up to the top floor of the cave, and had been working her way carefully around the ice patches, her focus on the ground, so she didn't notice the two black suited figures ahead of her until they spoke.

"Look at that Bob – a little lost gym leader."

"My name is Butch."

The red head looked up in alarm, eyes wide as her Golduck stepped in front of her, claws out. At the two rockets feet a Raticate let out a growl.

"Prepare for trouble," the woman announced, smirking.

"And make it double."

Misty's face, although they weren't looking at it, too busy in their dance routine, had become slightly pinched in what seemed to be resigned boredom.

"To infect the world with devastation,"

"To blight all peoples within the nation."

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!"

"Butch!"

"Team Rocket circling the earth both day and night. Surrender to us now or prepare to lose the fight!"

"Raticate!"

The blonde woman looked down, smirk falling as she saw Misty's deadpan expression. "Uh… Butch? Did we overdo it on the motto?"

The teal haired man shrugged, "She's in awe of out power."

Misty raised an eyebrow, "I'm just in awe of how much of a failure you two are. I mean… you can't even get the motto for Team Rocket right!"

"What!" Cassidy screamed. No, what – that was Butch screaming. "What do you mean we can't get it right!"

Misty cleared her throat. "It goes like this. Ahem. Prepare for trouble, make that double. To defend the world from devastation. To unite all people within our nation. To defend the evils of truth and love. To extend our reach to the stars above. Jessie. James. Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light. Surrender now or prepare to fight. Meowth that's right." Her grin was decidedly smug as she finished.

Cassidy stalked towards her, glaring daggers. If looks could kill Misty would be dead a hundred times over by now. "How dare you recite those lunatics motto!"

"Oh I dare," Misty shot back, "It's better than yours – moron!"

Cassidy took another step forward and Misty stepped back, eyes widening as she came into contact with a wall. Cassidy smiled, "You're in a tight little situation aren't you? How would you like to come back with us to Saffron HQ!"

There was a cough from Butch. "Uh… Cass? Saffron HQ is down – remember? After the burglary and the three rocket elites abandoning their posts."

The blonde waved a hand, dismissively, "Psh. We'll take them to Viridian then."

Misty stood up, glaring at them. "You should be careful." She warned. "I'm about to unleash my ultimate attack," she told them, voice entirely serious, and Butch actually looked slightly alarmed. Dramatically, Misty let her eyes slide over their heads, "Oh mew!" she cried, "What the hell is that!"

In alarm, they spun around, even as Misty took the opportunity to duck away, Golduck at her heels. "Oh and your motto is rubbish!" Misty called over her shoulder as she raced away from them, Pichu laughing on her shoulder.

Team Rocket. The grunts were complete and utter morons.

"Where's the exit?" she gasped to her Golduck, who looked around in alarm.

"Gol," he quaked, pathetically, looking towards a mess of rocks and ice and rubble.

"Idiots," she hissed. "They do realise they've blocked themselves in to – don't they?"

"GolDuck!" cried her duck, and the water trainer turned to see him being bitten by a hyper fang, the Raticate holding him down. Behind them the blonde and green haired man stood, arms crossed, once again, hemming her in.

Team Rocket grunts also appeared to be very fast runners.

"Well look at this – our prey is caught again!" Cassidy let out a cackle.

Misty shook her head, "I'm not coming with you," she sneered, her eyes flickering to over their heads. Her eyes widened slightly. "Uh… you guys… behind you…"

"We're not falling for that a second time!" Butch chuckled, even as an ice beam hit his head, freezing him solid.

Cassidy spun around very slowly, swallowing nervously as she encountered Lorelei's giant Lapras, the ice type Pokémon already charging a white cold beam.

The sheer cold attack froze her too.

Misty let out the breath she didn't even know she had been holding, kicking the half frozen Raticate away from her Golduck, checking he was all right. "Thank you." She said, speaking both to the Lapras and the person riding him, glasses catching the light.

"No problem," Lorelei said, calmly, as if it didn't affect her. She truly was an ice queen. "I can give you a lift out, since the fools blocked the entrance. Hop on."

Misty didn't move. "What made you change your mind?" she asked.

Lorelei laughed. "Oh don't get any ideas about me coming out of hiding to help with the war! You just ran off before I could tell you about Indigo Plateau!"

"What about it?" Misty asked, as she followed her blue duck up onto a perch on the large transport Pokémon. She was larger than Ash's had been, and Misty could perch near the bottom, far enough away from Lorelei Prima to still glare at her fully without craning her neck.

The ice elite smile. "Didn't anyone ever tell you about why the League was built there?" she asked, as the ice and water type began to slide on the ice, navigating quickly and with ease. "The League picked that spot because it was the location of where there was a crack in the world. In olden days, people used to worship Dialga there. They called it Temporal Tower."

"What?" Misty stared at her, "Temporal Tower is at the Plateau?"

Prima laughed, "Temporal Tower was destroyed. In its wake, the Plateau rose. Weren't you listening? They rebuilt it! Indigo Plateau _is_ Temporal Tower!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN – Meet baby ChuChu. I know, I called her a boy in an earlier note, but what can I say? She takes after her trainer ;) (Not Misty, even though she's called the tomboyish mermaid and has adopted ChuChu as her pretty much). And no – no ChuChu and Rai love. I admit, I was planning on it, but Va and Rai is cuter<strong>** not to mention she's a little Pichu and he's a Raichu. The age difference :S**

**So Misty finds the Seafoam Islands, Butch and Cassidy get frozen... you get a flashback of Ash trying to remember and getting really confused (poor him) about names. I admit to feeling only slightly evil!**

**Next time… Janine protests against stealing stuff (wow, makes a change – especially since I envision her as a Yuffie character from FFVII who steals anything she can lay her hands on using her ninja awesomeness!), Lance shoots Ash (by accident – seriously!), and Erika realises she's the only sane one around (when she's really, really not). Oh, and I steal some time-ish stuff from Doctor Who and Torchwood!**

**~ Eclipse**


	16. The Steps We Take

**Chapter 16 – The Steps We Take**

"_You see before I just thought you were high on adrenaline or battle rush. Now though I realise you're just insane."  
>"He's certifiably insane. His ideas even more so. Miraculously, they usually work."<br>"See this is why you shouldn't think."_

* * *

><p><strong>[12:02PM] – 25<strong>**nd**** May – Vermillion City – Vermillion Gym – Erika, Lance, Sabrina, Janine & Lt Surge (Chikorita, Dratini, Dragonite, Dragonair, Alakazam, Mr Mime, Crobat, Ariados, Electrode, Electivire, Raichu)**

"You want me to do what?"

The poison type ninja stared around suspiciously at the rebels. Personally she thought they were crazy but then again, her father _worked_ with them. They couldn't be that bad, she had reasoned, as she waltzed out of the wilderness to join them.

But this was taking it too far.

"Let me get this straight," she snapped, "You want me to venture out into Vermillion harbour, brave the mad Seakings, pathetic Magikarp which will evolve into a raging monster if you insult them, the killer Carvanha which shouldn't even be in this region - and then you want me to access the old abandoned shipwreck, haunted by Gastly and Banette and let me tell you, those dolls creep me out, to retrieve a small green piece of rock which all you macho men can't retrieve yourself?"

Lance smiled. "I'm glad you understand us."

The Fuschia gym leader glared at him. "No way it hell!" she shouted.

Erika, the grass leader who she had met, travelling down route 12 stepped forward, "Is there anything that would make you want to do it?" she asked.

There was a vehement shaking of her head.

"And if me, Sabrina and Lance come with you."

She considered it, "If you, Lance, Sabrina and Surge come with me I'll do it."

The Lightning American cursed, "Well in that case we might as well do it ourselves instead of Janine since she obviously can't handle it."

"Oh course I can handle it!" the poison leader snapped, "I'm a ninja! We can handle anything! But what you're asking of me is extremely difficult - even for Koga!"

Erika tried to placate the electric gym leader, "We need Janine to help us with the booby traps in the ship."

"Oh now there are traps!" she cried, "Way to mention that!"

Lance tried to settle the tension, "We'll go with you." he reassured her, "If your scared I'm sure Surge will keep you safe," he grinned, eyes twinkling wickedly."But we need you expertise! Koga's all the way out in Pewter and you're our only chance of getting in without blowing the whole thing up and sending it to the bottom."

"I said I'll do it," the purple haired girl snapped, "I don't go back on my word. Unlike some people," she muttered, glaring at Surge who failed to notice.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:36PM] – 25<strong>**nd**** May – Vermillion City – Pier – Erika, Lance, Sabrina, Janine & Lt Surge (Chikorita, Dratini, Crobat, Electrode)**

"What do you _mean_ you don't even have a boat!"

"What do you expect me to run on it on _brat_?"

"Would it _kill_ you stop smoking that shit?"

The lietenant glared at her as Erika whirled around. "Will you two stop agueing!" she snapped, green eyes blazing.

"Well lookey here?" Surge taunted, "Miss Softy has grown a backbone!"

Erika stood her ground, glaring back at him. "Yeah – and so what? I was in Lavender Tower the other day when it blew and I've seen things you couldn't even begin to imagine. So shut up, stop talking and find us some way to get out to that abandoned boat, otherwise we might as well let some other big rough, tough save the world kind of man do it!"

Surge curled his lip as he turned away, throwing the cigarette on the ground and stamping it out. The five of them stood on the pier with four Pokémon, Chikorita, Dratini and Crobat on their respective trainers shoulders and Electrode hovering in the air.

"Dratini," Lance said, from where he was examining the water, "Ice beam."

The little lizard chirped, as he took a puff of air, before blowing it out, the water shimmering as it turned to ice. It crept outwards slowly, like fingers reaching for its prize, cold fog curling up lazily as the crystals formed across the still ocean. The salt water shouldn't have frozen that easily - it was downright unnatural.

"Make it thick," Lance told his dragon, "We don't want to fall through." He turned to give a cautious glance around at the port city. Generally speaking it was under SECTION control, but it didn't stop the rockets from marching in when they pleased.

Besides him Erika seemed to be thinking the same thing, gazing into the distance at black uniforms. The alarm claxon was already ringing, sending out Pokémon and people to defend their city from Team control. "Why are there so many?" she whined.

"They're like insects," Lance spat, watching the ice solidify outwards.

"No shit?" Surge fished another cigar from his pocket.

"I'm serious," Lance slammed a clenched fist down on the pier, "There are millions of the blighters! Everywhere!"

"Maybe they have a secret breeding program going on," Sabrina said, deadpan.

Lance stared at her, "Did you just make a joke?"

Sabrina cast him a dry look, "Don't get used to it."

"The ice is nearly there," Janine said, putting her foot on it and testing the weight, ignoring the complaints, "I can get across now but Surge, gee, it might not hold your weight!"

"Are you calling me fat girlie?" Surge growled.

"I never said anything old man," the purple haired poison type user smiled charmingly as she stepped onto the ice, before skipping off across it with light, quick steps.

"Why…" Surge made to head after her but Sabrina flung out an arm, blocking his path.

"The ice isn't think enough yet," she regarded him cautiously, "Just wait a bit."

The electric leader took another swing of his cigarette, "I'm gonna' strangle tha' kid," he muttered under his breath.

"Well you know what?" Erika snapped, "If you stopped being such a fool insulting everyone maybe people would treat you nicer!" before making her way across the bay, poncho fluttering slightly in the breeze.

The look on Sabrina's face told him that the psychic agreed, and Lance was too busy trying to figure out what the rockets were doing to pay attention. So nobody noticed when the macho leader whined, "But she started it!" imitating a young child.

His Electrode made a buzzing sound.

The 'she' in question was already hopping onto the boat, hitching a lift from her Crobat to save her clambering up the creaky wooden boards and rope. She dropped silently down on the deck, before sending her Crobat forward. "Reconnaissance," she instructed, "Pokémon and types, traps and location."

The purple bat flitted away as Sabrina floated calmly up. "Hey!" Erika called from below, "That's cheating! Not to mention damn unfair on us non-psychics!"

"KorChi!" (She's right!) her Johto starter agreed with her.

The pair ignored her, one being too stoic to care and the other was sulking. "Didn't want to do this stupid job for SECTION anyway," Janine muttered, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms. There was a crash behind them.

Sabrina glanced over her shoulder before closing her eyes and walking several paces away as if she had no dealings with them and she had never met strange, motley crew before in her life. Erika dropped down from the rope she used to clamber up, staring in confusion at the electric gym leader. "Hey Vermillion? What are doing down there?"

With a curse Surge pulled his foot out of the deck, from where his weight had caused the boards to collapse. "Shut it Grass!"

Erika shrugged, turning away as Lance joined them, swinging on board, his Dratini around his neck. "All set everyone?"

Celadon's gym leader was the only one to reply in the positive – the ninja and macho man were too busy sulking and Sabrina just gave a cut nod. Lance sighed. "Cheerful lot – aren't they?" he asked Erika.

"I miss Shads already," she sighed, "But whether it's his amazing sense of humour or cheerful personality I'm not sure."

Sabrina cast a sideways glance at the sarcastic gym leader (the grass one) and there was a flutter of wings as Crobat arrived back. Alighting himself on his mistresses arm, he opened his jaws, the sonic within them vibrating until an image formed of the ship ahead.

Lance winced at the various ghost type Pokémon around, and all he could say was that he was thankful they had the psychic gym leader with them. There were water Pokémon too which explained the grass and electric leaders.

Janine spent a minute or so studying the images before thanking her Crobat, who closed his mouth and flew to her shoulder. "All right! So he couldn't find the gear and there are two sections to the ship. We'll split up and contact each other using our Pokégears. Lance, Erika and Surge can take the one end of the ship which leads through the cabins and kitchens while me and Sabrina head to the storage level…"

The dragon master shook his head, "There are more ghost-types in the cabins. Sabrina's coming with us. It's a grass gear so the Chikorita's coming too, and Erika by extension. Surge can go with you, since you're our other source of finding it."

"No way!" there were unisons of objections from the pair.

Erika smirked, "Yes way! Have fun. You two are taking the storage! Be careful – all right?"

Both gym leaders were too busy glaring at each other to notice.

* * *

><p><strong>[13:00PM] – 25<strong>**nd**** May – Vermillion City – Harbour – Wreckage of SS Anne (or whatever it's called) - Janine & Lt Surge (Crobat, Electrode)**

"I hate you."

Lt Surge turned to look at the poison type mistress. "Well I'm not particularly fond of ya' either," he snapped, his Electrode hovering at his shoulder.

Janine muttered something under her breath. "Stop," she commanded, "Let me disable the pit trap," she told him, darting past, hopping over the trip wire to pull the knife away from where the swinging arm hung. Sometimes ghost types thought of plans too evil for their own good.

No wonder Agatha was such a creepy old lady.

Surge swore under his breath, watching the flickering shadows. "Use Flash," he commanded his Electrode, who gave a buzz of approval before the cabin lit in a blinding flash.

"You idiot!" Janine snapped, as a thunder bolt fried the Banette hiding the darkness. "Don't do that! You could have hit Crobat!" she hugged her bat to her tighter. "Come on, this way!" she snapped, turning and stalking away.

The Lt swore at her back.

* * *

><p><strong>[13:00PM] – 25<strong>**nd**** May – Vermillion City – Harbour – Wreckage of SS Anne (or whatever it's called) – Sabrina, Lance and Erika (Chikorita and Dratini)**

"Do you think we should have left those two alone together?" Erika asked the champion, trying not to look at the dust and bones in the cabins. It just reminded her of the labs, and the scarred…

No… don't go there.

Sabina however had picked up on her thoughts, and flinched… _visibly flinched_… the emotionless psychic had turned to stare at her, eyes wide. "What the_ hell_ happened to you at Lavender?" she asked.

The grass type trainer turned away, "Nothing. It's done… the stupid place is_ gone_ now – thank Mew."

Thankfully the psychic didn't press and Lance was too far ahead to hear. In her arms the small grass starter gave a comforting chirp. The gym leader glanced down, smiling, "Thanks for the support." She whispered.

"Hey guys! Look at this."

The skeletal figure of the captain, clothes rotting off the bones, sat in a chair at the far end of the cabins. In one hand he held a wine bottle, and in the other, a pale green stone was clutched.

"Pay dirt." Lance spat, even as he broke the brittle bones, dusted of the gear and turned to the two woman, nodding. "Let' get out of here. Sabrina – make sure you can keep that hacksaw from falling and that piece of floor from collapsing.

"Sure," the psychic sneered, "Just make me do all the hard work."

There was a loud crash and the ship shook slightly. Erika's eyes widened and in her arms the grass type let out a small squeak.

The champion rolled his eyes, "Those two…" he growled under his breath.

The grass leader glared at him, "We need to go and see if they're okay!" she insisted.

"The pair are probably at each other's throats," Sabrina muttered.

"I repeat, we are going to see if they are okay," Erika snapped. She glared at the pair.

Lance swallowed nervously, "We'll go check up on them… Sabrina – try and phone them…"

* * *

><p><strong>[13:17PM] – 25<strong>**nd**** May – Vermillion City – Harbour – Wreckage of SS Anne (or whatever it's called) - Janine & Lt Surge (Crobat, Electrode)**

The Pokégear rang in Surge's top pocket where he had left it, but it went unheard. Said gym leader was too busy trying to dodge the shadow balls from the mass of ghost Pokémon which had surrounded them. Crobat flew forwards with a wing attack before being sent hurtling back, a thunderbolt crackling on his wings.

Janine caught her poison and flying type, scooping him up. "We can't take much more of this!" she cried, "Do something!"

"I'm tryin' brat! Give me a chance to think!" Surge spat. Next to him his Electrode gave a small buzz.

Behind him the poison type gym leader gave a cry of pain as a night slash sliced her arm where she was cradling her Crobat. Surge looked wildly around in panic.

His white metallic steel and electric type gave another buzz, before moving towards the ghosts, without waiting for his trainers permission. Surge noticed, only too late.

"No! Electrode!"

The room they were in was filled suddenly with blinding white light, and the poison type leader blinked, trying to see. There were spots dancing in front of her eyes, and grey smoke was wafting in front of her face. It caught in her throat, and she coughed, trying to waft away the smoke. "What happened?" she asked, meeting Surge's stony face.

"My Electrode used self-destruct."

Her eyes widened, "Is he…" her voice trailed off. She knew the answer. No, not this time. The move relied on timing, the Pokémon saving itself with the energy of a Pokéball before fainting at the last minute. With no machines working, the Pokémon that followed them were as good as wild. She knew the answer.

Self-destruct was permanent.

There was a clatter of feet as Lance and Sabrina appeared, "What happened?" Lance asked, looking around at the blackened wood. "Where's your Electrode…" he broke of as the psychic elbowed him in the gut and the champion's eyes widened in realisation.

There was a horrible sort of silence on the haunted boat.

* * *

><p><strong>[13:37PM] – 25<strong>**nd**** May – Vermillion City – Pier – Erika, Lance, Sabrina, Janine & Lt Surge (Chikorita, Dratini, Crobat)**

They managed to get off the ship easily enough, despite the ice cracking as they had made their way towards the pier. For a moment Janine had dithered on the thin frozen water, before with a growl Surge had hauled her onto firm land. "Nobody else is goin' to die today – you got that?"

His Raichu was waiting on the pier with his Electrabuzz. The two electric Pokémon looked slightly worn out from beating up Team members, but the previous invasion force seemed to have been driven out. Both Pokémon noted their companion's disappearance with silence.

Above them the sky was dark and stormy, lightning flashing in the cloud cover. It was rare – any sort of weather apart from the usual omnipresent grey sky. Erika looked upwards, hoping for a drop of rain to fall, but the air remained heavy and still, sparking with electricity.

The Electrabuzz gave a yelp as static danced over his form, and Sabrina flinched back away from the electric type. "What's going on Surge?" she asked, staring at the sparking blue static.

The electric leader blinked, shaking off the loss. It still hurt – but he was a soldier. He'd seen people and Pokémon die before. Instead he focussed on the matter at hand. "I don't know." He frowned, looking at the static. "Looks like legendary thunder…"

Erika frowned, "You know the thing I always wondered is why when Pokémon use thunder… there isn't just a very loud noise. I mean… thunder is the sound right – shouldn't the move be called lightnin-EEEHHH!" she let out a scream as the whole air shimmered, seemingly being ripped apart from the static strobes. Lance drew a gun, pushing the woman behind him.

"Stop being chivalrous!" Sabrina snapped, eyes glowing an ominous purple as the air around them tore open, a sore wound.

Then there were shapes stepping backwards from the wound in space, a dark figure and the sound of a gun going off.

There was a flurry of curses and the figure doubled over. The air shimmered once more before fading, leaving the air clear, even as the storm continued to roll overhead. There was a growl from the dark furred jackal, red eyes gleaming as he stepped forwards, aura sphere forming, and Surge's Raichu bounded forward to meet it.

"Rai!" (Stop!) Rai skidded between the jackal and mouse. Turning to glare at the other Raichu, the orange mouse let out a growl, cheeks dancing with dark black electricity that flared blue-yellow at the edges. "RaiAiAi!" (Stay back or die cretin!)

There was a pattering of paws as Va skidded up, her form shimmering from an Espeon to a Leafeon as she blinked in surprise. "VuiEon?" (Erika?) "LeafEaf? EonEaf?" (Lance? Sabrina?)

Lance took a step forward in shock, gaze focussed on the doubled over figure.

"Ash?"

"Bloody hell is this how you greet all your friends?" the raven ground out, a hand pressed to his side. Surge started and Erika gasped in alarm.

"Oh Mew you shot him! You idiot Lance – you shot him! Va – can't you do something! You healed me! Come on! I'll get a first aid kit…"

"Don't worry," Ash shook his head as he straightened, wincing but otherwise ignoring the bloodstain on his jacket. "Ignore it – it will heal."

Lance gaped. "It's a bullet wound!" he snapped.

"Which will heal…"

"It will take weeks!" the champion shouted.

"It will take minutes!"

"What?"

Ash's face was cold, "I... heal quickly - don't worry."

Erika gasped. "My arrow did cut you! Back in Saffron!"

Ash glanced at her, before nodding. "Yes." He admitted, quietly.

"What the hell is this?" Janine asked, "The guy appears out of thin air – why the hell did you ask me to get the gear when this guy can just pop through space and get it? Huh? Huh! That's it! I'm out of here! I hope I never see you lot again!"

"Well it wasn't particularly nice meeting you either," Surge snapped, turning to Ash, "I recognise you… you're that kid with the Pikach…" he voice trailed off, gaze switching to the two Raichu, one smaller than the other but twice as fearsome, the black electricity dancing at his paws.

"Leave Rai!" Ash snapped, "Sorry," he told Surge, "He got zapped by a Zapdos – no pun intended – he's a bit overcharged."

"A bit!" Zo whined, "He's more overcharged than when you guys met me in Sinnoh! And he fried me then too!"

Ash adjusted his stance, seemingly ignoring the wound, "Actually we all got hit by the hyper beam from the Zapdos – I was aiming to get us to Vermillion Gym from what I could remember of it but…well… that's what you get for teleporting without knowledge of a location. I'm just lucky I didn't tear a permanent hole or kill us in the process."

The dark type flattened her ears. "Don't say that! I don't even know why I chose to go along with you, Rai and Luca – the crazy lot that you are! You're mad! That's it! All of you mad! Mental! I was fine where I was – living in the south of Sinnoh – but no-o! You lot had to waltz in being chased by a hoard of Dragonite and I just had to decide you needed rescuing! Well you know what? – next time you can damn well manage without me."

Va glanced at her in amusement, _"You've been wanting to let that out for a while now – haven't you?"_

Zo pouted.

Lance stared at Ash. "A hoard of Dragonite?" he asked, and the raven haired man pretended to ignore the tone of hope and glee in the dragon master's voice.

"Don't ask. Long story." Ash winced as he moved again, and once again they were drawn to his injured side.

The red head frowned, "Let's get that seen to. I don't know what you're playing at…"

"Leave it." Ash snapped. "It heals – okay! It always does."

The raven made to limp past Lance, but the red head slammed Ash away from him, sending the former champion stumbling against the wall of the pier house. "What are you talking about? People don't just heal in minutes!"

Ash didn't meet his eyes.

"No – just – don't do this Rayquaza dammit! And don't change the subject again!"

The raven glanced up, eyes a pale grey, "Does it matter?" he snapped, "It's over - in the past - I can't change it!"

"Did the Rockets do this to you? In the laboratory?"

Eyes widened, "What? No! Okay...sort of...but not like this!"

"Not like what!" Lance pressed, running his hand through his hair in frustration.

The former champion leaned back against the wall, wincing again, "It's complicated."

"I can manage."

"Really complicated."

"Don't patronise me."

"I'm a fixed point in space and time."

There was a pause.

"Okay, so what does that mean?"

"Time has stopped." Ash emphasised, "I told you this. It moves on and I die because I'm trapped in this time. Take Dialga for example - the temporal legendary - I'm not counting Celebi. Anyway Dialga lives in time. Stop time, Dialga's stuck? I'm not explaining this very well. I'm stuck in the temporal plane for as long as it lasts, like this. If this temporal plane remains, I remain. It moves on, so do I."

The red headed champion took a moment to process this. "So while time is stopped you're immortal?"

"Pretty much." Ash shrugged, "Are we done now?" he snapped, "Because if so I'll be on my way." He pushed past the champion, his gait back to normal, with no sign of a limp.

Surge choked on thin air. "What the hell! Kid – where the hell do ya' think you're goin'?"

The raven haired man glanced over his shoulder. "Uh… away from you maybe?" he snapped, eyes flashing red before fading back to brown.

Sabrina smirked in her all-knowing way. "So you don't want the gear then?" she asked.

The elite smirked, "Oh – I already have it. I pickpocketed it off Lance when he shoved me into the wall – thanks by the way. What is it with you and violent greetings? Can't you say 'hi' like a normal person?"

"You know for stealing that I just might shoot you again and see how quickly you heal."

Ash flinched slightly, even as he gave them a joking lopsided grin. "Sure thing. I'll see you around then?"

"Nu uh!" Erika shook her head. "You're staying here the night – got it! Saving the world can wait until tomorrow until we're all better. Got it?"

"Listen I can-"

"No buts." Erika stated, leaving no room for argument.

"Well when you put it like that…" Ash shook his head in amusement, "What happened to the woman I rescued from Celadon Gym?" he asked rhetorically.

"She grew up." Erika stated, and her small Chikorita pressed herself to her jeans in comfort.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I so stole stuff from Doctor Who and Torchwood. I don't really like this chapter, as I feel it is a little rushed. I so could have made a better plot out of the whole ruined ship thing, but Janine and Surge just did not cooperate as characters, or with each other. They enjoyed their little side plot though.<strong>

**Please review. Reviews motivate me to write more. If I write more I can update. If I update I keep people content and they review more. If they review more I write more and might eventually be able to finish the story. Savvy?**

**I'm planning on making a super long chapter when I've finished the story, to explain background. I would write a prequel but I simply don't have the time at the moment. But it will be composed of all flashbacks, and divided into two parts. That's the plan, at least. I rarely ever follow plans. They tend to get thrown aside last minute in favor of improvisation.**

**The next chapter switches back to Misty, and it's a bit depressing at the end, so consider yourself warned. This is set in a war era, and its generally been quite mild, even this chapter with the haunted ship. But as I said, it's a war, and it's about to get a whole lot worse.**

**Hope you enjoy reading!**

**~ Eclipse**


	17. No Place For Water

**Chapter 17 – No Place for Water**

_"I think I always knew it was inevitable. It's one of those things, like trying to change the course of a river. You can't do it. It's impossible. I don't believe in impossible though."_ Misty

* * *

><p><strong>[07:54] – 26rd May – Route 19 – Cinnabar Island – Outside – Misty &amp; Pokémon (Gyrados, Golduck, Pichu)<strong>

The red haired Cerulean gym leader had barely set one foot down on the stony shore of Cinnabar Island than she knew she was in the wrong place. The ground beneath her feet was sandy and stained with ash, the towering volcano trembling every now and then.

A fire mountain was no place for a water trainer.

She could feel the heat of the volcano from where she was, and in her arms the little Pichu squirmed. At her feet Golduck rubbed at his dry skin for a moment, before joining Gyrados back in the water. Misty took a few steps towards the volcano, trying to ignore the gritty ash already coating her skin. Turning to her two water types, she called out to them. "The pair of you stay here okay! It will be too hot for you in there."

Her Golduck protested violently at this, diving out of the water and hopping over to her, quacking loudly. Misty glanced at her sea monster, "Take a rest – you must be tired after all that surfing."

He bowed his head, before submerging himself into the water, letting the calm ocean wash over his scales. Misty smiled at him for a moment, before nodding to Golduck. "You ready to put out some fires?" she asked, and, after receiving an enthusiastic nod, turned towards the ruins of Blaine's gym.

* * *

><p><em><strong>[19:22PM] – Unknown Date – Approximately Five Years before – Pallet Ruins – About two months after the lab incident<strong>_

_"What happened?" the raven haired man asked her, gaze switching around from the ruined dust strewn rubble behind him and the smoking rock out to sea._

_"You don't remember?" she asked, tersely, teal eyes staring at him, trying to work out where they stood._

_Silently he shook his head, gaze switching to the Eevee and Pikachu playing in the dust._

_"There was a bomb." Misty said, quietly, "Pallet was the home of Professor Oak, a renowned expert on… well… everything."_

_"Did they kill him?"_

_She flinched slightly, at the callous tone. "No. He was among one of the ones they evacuated to Hoenn. Gary, his grandson…"_

_"Blue."_

_"Yeah… him… he took over his grandfather's duties researching along with the running of the Viridian Gym."_

_The raven haired man turned to look out to sea once more. "What… why am I sad? When I'm here… it feels like I've lost something."_

_The red head tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, staring at some nondescript point on the horizon, "We couldn't get your mother out in time. I'm sorry. You found her later, and she died of her injuries. You… you'd been on a mission to intercept some executive in Viridian Forest with a shipment of weapons. We… we don't know what happened. But it was then that you agreed to turn over information in… in exchange…"_

_"In exchange for your life." His tone was flat, stating the facts with no emotion behind them._

_She swallowed. "And Lance's. They'd just killed your mother and you were… you were so angry. You were out all the time, training, fighting… I… was so scared of losing you and… Lance was there… we were drunk…"_

_"Don't." his voice cracked slightly. "Don't."_

_"About three months later…" Misty continued, "There was another mission to Celadon, leading troops to the secret entrance to their base under the Game Corner. There… there wasn't one. It was a trap you'd led us into. We lost all of our troops to the rockets and injury bar me, Lance and three others. Five out of two score left alive. The rest were dead."_

_"And I ended up on that island." Ash stated, looking at the spiral of smoke. "With no memory."_

_"It will come back." Misty expressed, "It has to! We're all helping and…"_

_"Misty." His voice stopped her words. "Some of it… I don't think it ever will."_

* * *

><p><strong>[08:24] – 26rd May – Route 19 – Cinnabar Island – Volcano Ground Floor – Gym Ruins – Misty &amp; Pokémon (Gyrados, Golduck, Pichu)<strong>

She cursed as she burnt her hands shifting aside rubble for the fifth time. "This was a bad idea," she whispered to herself. "Blaine isn't here. He's gone. He's dead. The rockets killed him."

She sighed, gaze dropping to the ground, the rocks scarred black from fire and brown from the soil. "So why am I still looking?"

There was a loud crash that made her jump, and the blue feathered duck looked sheepishly towards her, a pile of rocks settling at his feet, a dim black entrance visible behind him. There was a shift of weight on her shoulder as Pichu leapt off, hopping forwards to explore the cave entrance.

"Pi?"

Misty followed the baby mouse. "Don't wander off!" she called, as the spiky eared Pichu hopped closer to the hidden cave.

The mouse grinned at her cheekily, "PiChu!"

The red head took three more steps towards the entrance, hopping over a couple of loose rocks and shifting gravel before the realisation came to her. By then, she was standing outside the dim entrance, frozen, unconsented. She'd been here before.

Flashes of memory sparked behind her eyes but she forced them back, swallowing as she stepped forwards, past the metal door that was twisted, blown into the rock, and trying so hard not to be sick at the grey stained white washed walls and burnt plastic smell that hung in the air.

"Ash!" she called, before she could stop herself.

But nobody answered.

* * *

><p><strong><em>[19:22PM] – Unknown Date – Approximately Five Years before – Pallet Ruins – About two months after the lab incident<em>**

_"Ash?"_

_"What?"_

_The raven haired aura guardian snapped as he turned irritably to face the red headed champion. From where she was standing, Misty flinched._

_Lance shifted uneasily, before speaking, "I'm sorry about before … okay? I just wanted to help you remember. You were acting so differently."_

_"I'm not the same person Lance," Ash said quietly, glancing away, "I might not ever be."_

_"I accept that. But you're still my friend and that's all that matters."_

_The raven glanced up, surprised, eyes a pale blue that even as Misty looked, they darkened slightly to a more neutral aqua. "So you don't care? That I'm not him?"_

_"You are him," Misty said, hesitantly. "Your memories might define how you act but your heart defines who you are. You are still the man I fell in love with, even if you don't remember being the stupid kid who wrecked my bike. You still have the same heart, the same compassion to take in a Pokémon," she gestured to the Eevee, "And treat it like a best friend. You're still the same teenager who beat Lance five on six with a Pikachu that somehow knows magnet rise and a Luxray that sits through earthquakes."_

_"I thought we agreed to never mentioning that," Lance flinched, "I swear, I don't know what I was thinking giving you that challenge."_

_"Maybe you weren't thinking," Ash shot back._

_"Says the reckless teen who thought trying to wake up Lorelei at eight in the morning was a good idea and then got roped into what she calls a training session."_

_"You're just jealous you missed your opportunity to chase after me with a flaming sword."_

_"That was one time! One time! I was sick of having to dodge aura spheres ever two seconds."_

_"I didn't need you to teach me how to fight! Riley was a far better teacher than you were."_

_"Riley was your mentor. I was a friend trying to make sure you didn't get killed."_

_"What sort of friend attacks a guy with a freakin' flaming sword?"_

_"Pikachu," the yellow mouse sitting at Misty's heels gave a sigh. The Eevee next to him burst into laughter._

_"He hasn't changed has he?" Misty smiled, as she glanced down at the mouse, "Look at the pair of them. Men. They go from arguing over something from one minute to friendly bickering the next."_

_The mouse followed her gaze. "Pi PiPika ka PikaPi. KaChuPi KaPChu?" (It's Lance and Ash. What do you expect?). He said, as if that explained it all._

_And maybe it did._

* * *

><p><strong>[08:49] – 26rd May – Route 19 – Cinnabar Island – Volcano Ground Floor – Gym Ruins – Misty &amp; Pokémon (Gyrados, Golduck, Pichu)<strong>

Misty stared around the destroyed lab. SECTION had pretty much raided the place… well … Lance and Brock had done most of the raiding and Misty and some troops had come as support. They'd found a half drugged up Ash who had no idea of … well … anything. That wasn't mentioning the dead scientists and the rocket executives who, unfortunately, had scattered as soon as they had shown up.

Her footsteps echoed on the cool tile, as she looked around, for something, some hint of… she didn't even know. Ash was dead and nothing in this lab could bring him up. He'd never told anybody what they had done to him and everybody assumed it hadn't gone much beyond treating his bullet wounds.

A stray sheet of paper caught her eyes, one missed by SECTION. She picked it up, studying the page.

_DATE XX/XX/XX SUBJECT E#N131#VEE87G6H4DK_

_Spliced research XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX into the research into spliced XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. It involves removing the XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX created an unstable mutation. The chaotic form XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

_By using the equipment found on the island XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX to copy Subject E down to the genetic level. XXXXXXXXXXXXXX however there are major faults XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx not a perfect example of its species. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX it is a perfect copy XXXXXXXXXXXXXXx genetically XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx if not XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX and is named Subject E2._

_Subject E2's genetic code is shown to react to the usual stimuli XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX evolve XXXXXXXXXXXXXX like others of its species XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX However E2 does not match to E XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXxxx and further experiements XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX x concluded whether this species can be mutated beyond normal XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx although it might be possible XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx not possible XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX_

_In conclusion XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX failed endeavour and subject E2 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X Immediate action to put down subject XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX resume with new test speciment._

It continued down the page, odd words and phrases, the rest blanked out. No help. The page totally unrelated to anything helpful.

What was she doing here again? Was she looking for closure? Or some piece of mind?

Because she wasn't going to find it here of all places.

She whirled around, heading for the exit, refusing to look back.

She paused once outside, her breathing heavy, and she realised she was shaking. Her legs felt like jelly and she allowed herself to sink to the floor wearily. She wanted nothing more than to be back at Cerulean, curled up with Azurmarill and Golduck, in her own bed. What was she doing out here, thinking she could save the world?

Something dug uncomfortably at her side and she shifted, on hand going to the two gears pressed against her ribs. One, icy white and cold to the touch, the other a clear, simmering dewdrop of aquamarine – two already found and one, somewhere, on this cold, long dead and abandoned mountain.

Where was she going to start searching for it?

"PiPiChu?" the little yellow mouse skipped towards her, bright eyes blinking curiously at her adopted trainer. "ChuPiChu?" (What are you doing? Misty?)

The red head smiled weakly at the mouse, pulling a rumpled piece of paper from the pocket of her red hoodie she had on. Smoothing it out, she stared at the star, resting just under the printed name of 'Cinnabar Island'. The familiar hand writing, scrawled in various places across the map was comforting, and she let herself, just for a second, think about what Ash would do, if he was here in her place.

Her eyes, which had drifted closed, opened widely. A gear of time, on a volcanic island – where else would it be hidden?

With a sigh she forced herself to her feet.

After all, where else to hide something you wanted to stay hidden than in plain sight?

* * *

><p><em><strong>[20:05PM] – Unknown Date – Approximately Four Years Before – Indigo League – Unknown Restaurant<strong>_

_"So what's the occasion?" Leaf asked, leaning into Gary's side as she eyed the dark haired man and red haired woman across from her._

_Ash shrugged. "New mission. You know how it is. I thought it would be nice to have a happy memory all together."_

_"Haven't got enough already?" Gary asked, raising his eyebrows._

_Even touching on the awkward subject, Ash merely shrugged it off, staring pointedly off into the distance, and for a moment his brown eyes flickered to molten gold. "Not really. Things are still blurry, and I still find myself knowing things, even if I don't know how." He paused, frowning, "It's like a puzzle and I can see the picture but not some of the pieces. I don't really notice it though."_

_Misty grabbed his hand reassuringly and he squeezed it gently. His eyes fell on a yellow mouse and he sighed. "Pikachu's raising the ketchup. I'm gonna' have to pay for that."_

_"What?" Gary gasped, exaggerated, "Champion's don't get discounts on the food?"_

_"Shut it, you." The aura guardian threatened, standing, "Excuse me a minute while I make sure Pi and Va are okay."_

_Leaf frowned after him. "Nicknames are a new thing, huh?" she said, although it was more of a statement than a question._

_The red head nodded, smiling sadly. "Yeah. His whole team have them – Amps, Lux, Electra… mostly it's just shortening the name." Misty smiled, looking through the window to see Ash, with the yellow mouse and brown fox trotting around his heels._

_"I'll go check he's okay," Gary said, gaze layered with concern. Ash was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, and Misty had seen for herself that his aura spheres could shatter bones, and ever since the Celadon Incident as it was known, and the labs afterwards, Ash had a startling lack of morality. Misty had managed to persuade him away from the more dangerous habits, but she knew that one part of the sweet innocent kid who started his journey so blasé and naïve was lost, never to come back._

_She watched as the spiky haired Viridian leader approached Ash, the raven glancing at him before turning back to his two Pokémon. Gary's lips moved and Ash must have responded._

_The dark haired man turned to face Gary, grabbing his wrist and putting something in it, and Misty could see his face, light angling off it, a deep frown set within it._

_Gary unfolded something, looking at the object Ash had passed, before glancing up, mouth forming a question._

_The aura guardian looked a bit lost, before whistling. There was a gust of wind as his orange Charizard landed, head cocked to the side, questioningly._

_Whatever Ash had handed to Gary he snatched back and passed to Charizard who, with a quick sniff, took it in his great maw, snapping it up in a burst of flame._

_The researcher asked Ash something again, but the other waved him off with a shrug. Misty frowned. That was odd._

_She felt an indescribably sense of curiosity as to what Ash had shown Gary, but pushed it down, forcing herself to understand that he had his secrets, and she had hers._

_And that was the way she was happy to keep it._

* * *

><p><strong>[09:28] – 26rd May – Route 19 – Cinnabar Island – Volcano Ground Floor – Gym Ruins – Misty &amp; Pokémon (Gyrados, Golduck, Pichu)<strong>

Slowly, avoiding rubble and ruinous slabs of rock, Misty made her way to the gym. What Blaine was thinking locating the place in the volcano she had no idea, but then again the man was mad.

She instantly felt a shot of regret. Blaine had vanished not long after the Indigo Battle. Unlike Lorelei, he had left no trace behind, and it was unlikely he was hiding out on his ruined island. But then again, who would have suspected that Erika had made it through the war relatively unscathed?

She couldn't easily remember the route, and had taken several wrong turns before she discovered the passage leading to the gym door. The metal was charred, and half open, and she slid it back another inch to allow Golduck to squeeze through before following, footsteps echoing lightly on the ground.

A shock gasp escaped her mouth, at seeing the state of the gym field. The stands themselves were shattered, as if an Onix had fallen against them, while the field was covered in scorch marks. The pitch itself was a rubble field of cold magma and earthquake ripples. It looked like a war field. ChuChu gave a chirp of fright and scurried up to Misty's shoulder, black eyes fixed on something. Following the little mouse's gaze, Misty could see a large boulder, crushing down on another white rock. Ignoring the mouse's squeak of protest, Misty stepped closer curiously, but made it only a few steps before stopping, eyes taking in the white skull, crushed beneath the rock, one gangly boned leg protruding. Her eyes took in the bleached white bone, and the curling, twisting horn.

She no longer wanted to know what had happened to Blaine. His Rapidash lay here, long dead, crushed by a rock in what was unlikely to be an accident.

It could be. She reminded herself. The gym was in a volcano after all. It was a hazardous area.

Stumbling over a crack in the ground, Misty set her course for the office at the far end.

Sure, gyms were hazardous, but not this hazardous.

She had barely entered the room, pushing open a door that swung on loose hinges, leaning slightly as if someone had taken a battering ram to it, than she encountered inescapable proof that it was no accident.

Shutting her eyes and cradling ChuChu to her chest, Misty turned around and was promptly sick, turning her back on the Golem and Arcanine skeletons, locked in battle, fangs buried at the neck in a death grip while the rock monster wrapped rocky hands around the spine at the top of the neck. It was an almost poetic finish to what must have been an epic battle, the scars wrought within the structure of the gym itself.

Yet it was not the bodies of the Pokémon which had churned Misty's stomach. She had, after all, seen Brock's Kabutops as a skeletal fossil before being revived. Instead it was the humanoid figure at the far end, slumped against the wall, decaying fabric hanging over the body, skull shattered by a bullet and a crumpled piece of paper in the bony death grip.

Misty did not turn around to brave the death room for a long while. Instead she sat there, curled up outside in the ruined gym, thinking about what had lead her here, and how lucky she had been. This could have been her, had she remained at the Cerulean Gym, served under the Teams…

She didn't want to go back in there. She wanted to run away and never stop, never look behind her at the past. She didn't want to remember dammit!

"ChuPiChu?" the small mouse struggled for air, pressed against Misty's chest. She scrambled out, and nudged Misty's tear stained face sadly – had she been crying? – and squeaked reassuringly. The red head smiled, reminded of Pikachu.

Once again, the thought came into her head. What would Ash do?

He'd find a way to end it with a smile on his face. Blaine should not have had to die for nothing, and she would honour his death. Blinking away tears, Misty stood swallowing down a lump in her throat, along with a wave of despair because Ash wasn't here, and would never be here again because dammit he would not want to see her moping. She had fallen so far from the strong woman he had fallen in love with it was pathetic.

"ChuPiChu?" the mouse asked again.

For the first time since Ash's death Misty smiled fully, genuinely happy and at peace. "It's okay – I'm better now. You wait out here with Golduck and I'll be back in a moment okay? Then we'll find the gear and save the world, how does that sound?"

The spiky eared Pichu nodded emphatically.

Misty smiled, and feeling all that much better for speaking her plan out loud, spun around and headed back to the tomb, the eerie skeletons encased inside.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I feel so bad, but having Blaine alive would just be a repeat of the Lorelei meeting and I didn't want that at all. Anyway, to help people out with the flashbacks, the first two were after Ash lost his memory, and him trying to regain it. The last one was after the previous two, and was about a month or two before the Indigo Battle. It was referenced at the start, and you all know that Ash passed Gary a scrunched up napkin with a creepy prediction on.<strong>

**Next chapter you can expect nothing really happening, but the characters for the final stage are gathering in the town where it all began. The plot is beginning to twist together now.**

**Have fun reading!**

**~ Eclipse**


	18. A Revolution, I Suppose

**Chapter 18 – A Revolution, I Suppose**

_"So I guess we're all that are left, standing against the tidal wave. Pretty pathetic revolution huh?" _May

* * *

><p><strong>[12:08PM] – 26th May – Vermillion City – Vermillion Gym – Lt Surge, Ash, Sabrina, Lance, Erika<strong>

It had been a day, since the unlikely crew raided the wreckage of the SS Anne, in the bay. Much to Ash's dismay, Erika had her way, and he had spent the night camping on the floor of the gym. Janine had crept off in the early morning, her course bound for the northwest, to where the rebels lay, slipping into the shadows with her Ariados and Crobat vanishing after her. For a moment she paused, balanced on the rooftop looking over her shoulder. Then she winced with guilt and turned away, leaping lightly away with soft, ninja steps.

Maybe it was time she checked in with Koga. Things had obviously got far worse since the rebels had lost Fuchsia.

If there was a time to fight, she reckoned that time would be now.

It was morning, and after Sabrina of all people had woken them up with breakfast, they were gathered, in an awkward sort of silence which has descended over the Vermillion Gym. Anxious for something to do, Surge had stalked across to where his Raichu and Electabuzz were waiting, and Rai had followed with some sort of twisted glee as he bounded towards the larger Raichu. With a laugh Va had followed behind, morphing into a Jolteon as she trotted along.

"RaiAi! ChuKaaRaiAiRaiRa Rai Ai Ai Rai?) the mouse mocked his companion. (Hey! You're from Vermillion right? Does that make you a Vermin?)

Ash tried to ignore the pitying stares from Erika, the mildly speculative looks from the psychic and the searching dark eyes of Lance. Leaning against the wall, watching Surge talk to his Pokémon in a quiet voice, he idly tossed the green gear in the air, letting it spin before catching it.

"Watch it." Surge snapped, glancing around, "We wasted a lot of resources to get that!"

Ash narrowed his eyes, as the brown in them flickered to blue. "Sorry. Thanks for getting it. I am sorry about the Electrode."

Surge snorted, "I can raise another. They have a tendency to blow up. It's water under the bridge."

The raven haired man ignored the soldier's callousness. Instead, he asked "Where did Janine go?" looking around for the ninja, already knowing she was gone, but searching for a topic of conversation.

Sabrina exchanged a glance with her Mr. Mime. "She went looking for her father."

"Koga?" Ash queried. "Where is he? The Pewter base or…"

"Viridian. Karen and Bruno are at Pewter."

"So Karen and Will haven't eloped yet?"

Lance shot Ash a glare. "I thought I told you to drop that conversation."

The dead man grinned, and the black Lucario let out a barking laugh.

The Celadon Gym Leader kneeled, greeting Zorua who danced up to her, "Hey - Shads?" she asked, "You haven't seen that Pichu anywhere have you? After Lavender he vanished… the Chikorita's still here. I think I'll keep her."

"ChiKoor!" the Johto starter chirped.

Ash shook his head. "No. She must have escaped back to the wild. Or somebody else found her."

"Her?"

"Yeah – the Pichu was a girl."

Erika stared at him. "It was?"

"She was." Zo corrected, tail twitching from side to side. "So ... Apart from robbing the SS Anne wreckage, what else have you guys been up to?"

"Well Sabrina and I have finally worked out why there are so many rockets." Lance's smile was lopsided as he tried to lighten the mood. "Sabs worked out they have this secret breeding program."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Very funny," he complimented, "How long did you spend coming up with that joke?" he teased.

"It's not possible." Zo complained, tail flicking angrily. "Hasn't anybody noticed?"

Sabrina nodded wordlessly.

"Noticed what?" Erika asked, mystified.

"Nothing can breed. There hasn't been any baby Pokémon or humans since the Indigo Battle when Giovanni stopped time."

Erika leaned back, crossing her legs, "You've been awfully vague on this famous battle of Indigo. What actually happened? How did the Team 'stop time'?"

From where he was stationed Surge turned, "That would be awful nice to know." he drawled.

"There isn't much to know." Ash said shortly.

Lance flinched slightly. "It's a sore point."

Surge didn't seem to know when to stop talking. "It seems to be like some event everyone treats as the end of the world. But nobody actually says what happened there."

"It was the League's fault." Sabrina spoke up quietly, "Five years ago, there were tensions as the criminal gangs began to work together. They all have a similar obsession with legendary Pokémon, and planned to harness their power. The League was scared and began to fight back. They formed SECTION, to work against the gangs. The war officially started in secret five, six years ago, but it was at Indigo, four years ago it became more of a reality."

Ash glanced up from where he had been silently talking with his Lucario. "There were small things before; like the Celadon Game Corner was involved in financing their misdeeds and Silph Co began inventing weapons instead of technology. SECTION was sent to deal with them, on order of the League. The officials began to get more and more scared until eventually we were ordered to infiltrate the rocket base itself. The group sent in however was discovered, and killed."

Erika's eyes widened at the implications, "I'm sorry," she whispered, and Ash gave her a small smile, the blue having faded out of his eyes when the conversation turned, leaving them grey, dull and horribly dead looking - a molten silver.

"And at the Plateau? What happened there then? People don't seem to want to chat 'bout it." Surge queried, treading more carefully now as the tension in the air became noticeable.

Sabrina spoke up again. "Giovanni had elected himself the head of criminal gangs. They had this plan to gather up the plates of Arceus, to allow them to control every time of Pokémon in existence. But our spies leaked the plan before it was completed and we managed to foil it. So he came up with another ploy, using the faeries."

"Faeries?" Erika blinked

"The legendary Pokémon are divided into three groups," Ash explained, "The deities, such as the Creation Trio and the Lake Trio of Sinnoh, the two birds of Johto and the Weather Trio of Hoenn. They in turn are served by the titans, the Golems, the Dogs, Birds, Lunar Duo… The Faeries refer to Mew, Celebi, Manaphy, Jirachi and Shaymin. The Team were dabbling in the faeries' power. None of them guarded anything, like the titans, nor were responsible for creation, like the deities. For Mew they were interested in its psychic powers, its powers of transformation, teleportation and genetics. They had already tried to clone her, but it failed. Shaymin was a Pokémon of purity, and of course the Team weren't interested in that. Manaphy was a sea companion to Kyogre, while Jirachi is a wish master."

"This is all very interesting," Surge rolled his eyes, "But can you get to the point already?"

Ash waved a hand dismissively. "You wouldn't understand without the background knowledge," he explained. "Giovanni used a mix of Celebi's time travel powers, and Dialga and Palkia's spatial and temporal gifts in an attempt to turn time back to the very beginning so mankind could start again, ruling the land as kings etc etc, cue the usual evil villain speech. Instead he managed to stop time entirely because he decided to carry out his grand plan on top of temporal tower."

"Indigo?" Erika asked.

Ash nodded.

"You told us you didn't know where Temporal Tower was!" Lance accused.

"I never said anything about Temporal Tower. May and Dawn were the ones who tried and failed to find it."

"Hmm – lying by omission is still the same as lying." The champion narrowed his eyes. "You like being purposely misdirecting don't you?"

Ash gave him a grin, "Sure. Whatever." he shrugged, before turning to the pair of Raichu whose chirps had progressed to antagonistic growls. "Will you two stop it?"

Surge's orange mouse leaned back on his haunches, as his trainer took a step forward, "It was your mouse that started it!"

Ash held up his hand defensively, "Whoa! I'm not starting anything here. Rai - leave it - I know… no… don't give me that look."

"RaiAi Kaa," the mouse grumbled under his breath as he hopped over to the Jolteon.

Zo smirked from where she was standing, "Ignore him. He got hit with Zapdos's thunder attack. It's making him grouchy."

"Rai!" the mouse protested.

"Jolt Teon TeHolt." (Don't protest. You know it's true.) Va flickered him gently with her tail.

"Chu." (Still).

"Zapdos?" Erika squeaked, and her Chikorita looked at the orange mouse with wide eyes before hiding behind her trainer's legs.

"Electric gear." Ash shrugged. "I've got nine of the blighters now, plus the three your viridian crew should have that makes twelve."

The red headed champion spoke up, "We've sent Mis…an agent to get the three around the coast. That makes fifteen leaving us with only two more."

Ash appeared not to notice the blunder, and Lance relaxed slightly. May had phoned in the news, and it seemed they were one big step closer to collecting these antique stones. Curiously, Lance examined the dead man, who seemed to be talking silently with his black Lucario, whose red eyes had a slight aura glow about them. Simultaneously, the now Vaporeon and Raichu stopped arguing, ears pricked to their trainer.

Ash uncurled from his position against the wall, straightening, purposely not meeting Lance's gaze. "Well it's been nice." He said, intermittently, "But I really should be off. I'm not likely to see you again."

With a falling heart, Lance stared at the elite. Their quest was ending, but so was Ash's precious time remaining on this earth. Soon he would die. How could Ash face that?

Life was so unfair sometimes.

"I'll go with you." He said, straightening as well.

"Me to!" Erika, of course, she seemed be determined to follow them to the very end on their quest. Sabrina remained silent, staring with all too knowing eyes at the dark haired aura guardian. As if sensing her psychic presence, Ash glared at her, but she met his gaze levelly for a moment, before the younger man tore his head away.

"No." he said, voice monotone. "Stay here. Stay alive. It's the most you can do for me."

"Don't be a moron about this Shads!" Erika snapped, stepping forwards, seeming to understand the issue in one. "I signed up for your crazy ass adventure, and you already left me once! You're not doing it again."

Ash's lips curled up in a mocking grin, bitter and resentful. "And what are going to do about it? Huh?"

"Let people in." Lance said, quietly, sensibly. "You tried doing this from the shadows but it didn't work. Step into the light for a little bit." He was met with a brown gaze that as he watched, flushed with crimson.

The elite's lips quirked. "Sorry." He shrugged, and Lance knew what he was going to do before he did. "I hate to leave it like this, but it's really the only way." And then he stepped backwards, vanishing from view, the air shattering and being rebuilt faster than they could see.

Lance had lunged for the elite, but missed, and was left, cursing, slamming his hands against the wall where the elite had previously stood, brimming with frustration. "Bloody, self-sacrificing idiot! Arceus! Can't you stay around your friends for more than a minute before running off?"

The champion couldn't help but wonder why the raven haired man had to isolate himself so.

Couldn't he see it would be the death of them?

Erika glanced up at him, her eyes resolute. "We are going after him, aren't we?" her tone that of one who was planning to do it regardless of what his view was.

Lance grimaced. "I'm the one with the Dragonite aren't I?"

* * *

><p><strong>[14:08PM] – 26th May – Pallet Town - Misty<strong>

Misty was relieved to set foot on the mainland again, after the days at sea. Pallet Town's air had always smelt so sweet, even if now, the town that lay ten miles or so up the road, no longer sat there. ChuChu was sleeping on her shoulder, and Gyrados was splashing up the river, along with Golduck who was relieved to be in the fresh water. In her hand, the dead man's note was held, warmed by her touch.

Written on the note was scribed only a few, hastily penned words. Blaine always did love his riddles and poems.

_To see a world in black and white, we must first understand it in its full complexity. The artist is given a choice of colours, but it is his choice with what he does with them. To start at the beginning, one must look for the start, and pick up their brush._

It was a pretty quote, even if as a riddle it didn't actually work that well, but it served its purpose. An artist held a palette, a mix of colours to capture the world. As such, Misty had made quick haste from the underground gym, finding her snoozing Gyrados and leaping aboard, until she was settled comfortably, cruising south in the late afternoon up route 21.

Stretching, Misty gazed at the hilly route north. Hopefully the gear was in the old town, and hopefully she could find it without trouble finding her first.

She should have known it was never going to be that easy.

* * *

><p><strong>[14:08PM] – 26th May – Pallet Town - Ash<strong>

_"You're a rubbish long range teleporter."_

"Shut up Rai."

_"It doesn't matter. You are!"_

"And I said shut up."

"I agree," Zo joined in, "Have you forgotten where we're going or something. Because I thought we were going to Pallet."

"We _are_ going to Pallet." Ash insisted, fighting his way through a persuasive bramble. "I just …"

"_Got lost."_ Va and Rai synchronized.

"I am not lost! I took a detour since my memory is dodgy. Unless you like landing above Vermillion Docks after being almost ripped apart by space?"

The pair shut up, conceding to his point. Ash sighed in relief. "Anyway, I'm not lost. I grew up here, remember? It's that way!"

Rai frowned. _"I thought it was that way,"_ he motioned with his tail.

Va overruled him. _"We are not following you. We are going south west, to Pallet, not North West, to Viridian, got it?"_

Rai wisely shut up.

Zo scoffed at their antics. "Ya' know at this rate, Lance will have chased us down on that wee dragon of his and we'll be fresh meat."

"Leave Lance to me," Ash promised, before shimmering out, and fading back in a couple of metres away from the offending bramble. "Luca? How's it going?"

_"Definitely warmer."_ The quiet jackal sent mentally. "_I believe that there are two, to where we are heading."_

_"Where are we heading?"_

"The ruins." Zo said, quietly, answering Va's question.

_"The fire and the normal gear reside there, both with similar tales of destruction behind them. We will find them at the centre of the destruction."_

Ash winced. "Well we better get started," he muttered, striding forwards, air shattering around him, a wound in the fabric of reality, left torn open behind him.

With a sigh, his Pokémon jumped in after him, as usual, without stopping to look before they leapt through the boundaries of space and time.

* * *

><p><strong>[14:08PM] – 26th May – Pallet Town – Lance, Erika<strong>

"I'm going to kill him." Erika told the dragon master.

He might have actually felt threatened by the jaded grass trainer, was she not clutching the back of his jacket tightly, eyes shut closed. Her Chikorita remained in her pack, similar to his Dratini curled around his neck. The orange dragon beneath them lurched slightly in the non-existent air currents, and a small whine escaped her lips.

Lance sighed internally. May much preferred riding on his dragon, whenever she could be persuaded away from her computer, and he found himself missing the chirpy technician. He enjoyed talking to her, even if she did call at the most awkward moments.

"Are we there yet?" Erika asked, shivering slightly.

"Almost." Lance said, glancing down at water. To the west, he could see the faint outline of the Pallet Coast. "Soon. Just hang on and don't look down."

"Never, ever again." The Celadon Gym Leader whimpered, "My feet are going to stick firmly on the ground from now on."

Erika was brave, Lance conceded, but she wasn't May.

Why was he so stuck up on the bandana wearing Hoenn coordinator anyway? It was odd, how almost every thought seemed to revolve around her.

He frowned, and shook his head, internally shrugging. Concentrate on May later. Ash first, then he could ask May on a date.

It didn't occur to him until later how that thought had turned out, and by then, there would be worse things to worry about.

* * *

><p><strong>[14:08PM] – 26th May – Pallet Town - Ash<strong>

He hated being back here. He might not remember much but the few, precious memories linked with this place, were all filled with childhood, his mother, and worst, or maybe best of all, Misty.

For the first time in a while he let his thoughts linger over the fiery water trainer. He missed her so much it was unbearable. That's why he kept moving, kept running. Maybe if he ran fast enough, far enough, he might forget about her for a bit.

Not that he ever wanted to forget about the girl who had stolen his soul.

Not that he ever could. They were linked, a faded handkerchief around his arm and a fishing lure, ensnaring his heart. Arceus he never used to be this poetic. It was definitely a side effect of hanging around her too much; the romantic had always been Misty. And it had always been Misty; he had most wanted to see when he returned to Kanto.

* * *

><p><strong>[16:04PM] – Unknown Date - Pre Memory Loss Incident – Cerulean City – Cerulean Gym<strong>

_"Ash?" The red headed water trainer had to blink several times at the sheepish raven haired man standing in front of the cerulean gym. "Ash Ketchum?"_

_"I think I know my own name Mist." Ash grinned, rubbing the back of his head. On his shoulder Pikachu chirped happily._

_The gym leader narrowed her eyes before reaching for a wooden mallet._

_Ash yelped hands coming up in a surrender position. "Hey! Whoa! Please don't hit me! I swear! It was Riley's fault! He's the one who brought the explosives! I didn't know what he was going to do with them and I didn't really question it when he asked me to put them in the Eterna base! I swear it's all, his fault."_

_His babbling had the desired effect as Misty's arm dropped. "You what?" she asked, "Gee Ash it's been… months since I last saw you and you waltz in going on about explosives."_

_"It was Riley's fault." Ash said stubbornly, ignoring his yellow mouse's snickering. He was also trying not to stare at the red head - had Misty always had such pretty coloured eyes? Misty gazed at his for several more seconds before Ash found himself with an armful of Misty. "Uh Mist?"_

_"You couldn't even write a letter? I missed you. Git." she mumbled into his shoulder, blinking to stave off the tears._

_The aura guardian awkwardly patted her back. "I missed you too. Never stopped thinking about you. Got you a present - hope you like it - it's nothing much but still… I know you deserve more and I'm sorry about the letters. I did send you a postcard but I think it got lost in the mail."_

_Misty stepped back, eyes watering but she determinedly blinked away the tears. "You might as well come on in. I've got a challenger later but you can stay and watch."_

_Ash followed her, subconsciously stepping past the dozy yellow duck by the umbrella stand. "You still enjoy running the gym?" he asked._

_Misty nodded. "I wish sometimes my sisters would help but if I wasn't a gym leader I don't know what I would be."_

_"A water Pokémon master?"_

_"I'm quite happy being the best water Pokémon gym leader in Kanto." Misty smiled. "…but what about you … you were in Sinnoh for a bit right? I watched your battles for the conference. But where did you go afterwards? Brock thought you were going to Unova." the gym leader pushed open the door to the gym, holding it open for the dark haired teen to step through._

_Ash gave a nervous laugh. "I - ah - missed the boat back to Kanto. So I decided to stay in Sinnoh and explore a bit. Mount Coronet mostly."_

_"Catch any new Pokémon?"_

_"Sure thing – It's like you don't know me at all Mist! I have got a new team built up and I trained up some older ones. Want to see?"_

_"Go on then." Misty gestured towards the gym and pool. She perched by the edge and Pikachu immediately hopped up towards her, chaa-ing softly. The red head scratched the electric rodent's ears gently, glancing around at the pool and her Pokémon._

_The teen however had gotten distracted as he crouched beside her, gazing at the pool. "I see you got some new Pokémon too." he smiled, and the red head was struck with how dashing he looked with that lopsided grin._

_A rumble from the pool could be heard as her sea dragon emerged. Ash glanced at Gyrados. "Well I've met you before big fellow. And I saw Psyduck on the way in. Starmie and Corsola too."_

_Said Pokémon let out chirps happily._

_"Meet my Lapras and Quagsire." Misty smiled. "Oh, and you met Marill - but she was an Azurill back then."_

_"Marrilll!" the little aqua mouse squealed as she threw herself at Ash who caught her. (Daddy!) Pikachu snickered and Ash glared at him._

_"QuagQuagsire." (Nice to meet you). The water and ground type waddled up._

_The raven haired aura guardian sent Pikachu a glance. "Sorry buddy. Misty's got a ground type now to counter your electricity. She must be tired of all those kids with Pikachu's winning against her."_

_"You did not win." Misty stated adamantly._

_"Of course not," Ash sighed, trying to avoid an argument, "We drew remember?"_

_"Pah!" Misty scoffed, "You wish."_

_"Want to meet the Totodile we were fighting over?"_

_"Is he going to do his crazy dance again?"_

_"Hah. Hardly."_

_The lure ball cracked open, as a large blue crocodile emerged, scales a glittering pale blue and jaws wide. "Galatr?" he tipped his head to one side questioningly._

_"He evolved!" Misty squealed. "Wow - Feraligatr is so…" Cute wasn't really the word so Misty settled for hugging the amused croc._

_"Gaa?" (Is this normal?)_

_"Yes." Ash and the various Pokémon chorused in unison._

_Misty glared at them._

_Ash, seeing the glare, changed the subject. He pulled out a white Pokéball banded red around the hinge and handed it to her. "Found this little gal in Mount Coronet. They have some pretty pools up the mountain. She's for you Mist, to raise and train, being a water type and all. Anyway, she's not much to look at now but I'm sure she'll evolve soon…" he trailed off as the premier ball broke open and a small brown fish fell out._

_"Fee…"_

_The fish was saved from a near choking hug by the only fact that Ash had received it first. "Gah! Mist! I can't breathe!"_

_"Thank you." Misty stepped back, her voice sincere. "My sisters will tell you how long I've been looking for a Feebas. How did you know?"_

_"Know? I guessed." Ash shrugged. "Wallace of Hoenn, the coordinator, specialises in water Pokémon and I figured you'd probably idolise him. Luxray almost electrocuted her so I had to capture her to take her to a Pokémon centre. I thought you might like to train her."_

_"Like to? I'd love to. You hear that little girl? You're going to be a brilliant Milotic one day!"_

_The little fish agreed happily, clapping her fins together._

_The red head paused. "Wait. Luxray? What Pokémon do you have?"_

_Fishing four red and white spheres from his belt, Ash released the rest of his current team. A gleaming eyed Luxray stalked forward, shaking his dark mane. In the pool a pale aqua scaled Lantern flickered with light, and next to it a strange dark blue eel danced, claws outstretched as it batted the water. Finally Ash's dark blue Swellow shuffled his feathers._

_Misty's attention was drawn to the eel, staring at it. "What is that Pokémon?" she asked, reaching out her hand to let the eel sniff it cautiously._

_"That's Eelektross. He's a Unova Pokémon, electric type. Someone gave me a Tynamo, his first evolution, and he then evolved into a Eelektrik. He found a thunder stone buried in some rocks on Iron Island and evolved into his final form."_

_"Four electric types?" Misty asked, counting them. "Pikachu, Luxray, Eelektross and Lantern."_

_"I decided to specialise after I realised I had four. Then Lance offered me a challenge for I picked electric. My challenge is in about two months. I still need to find two more but I reckon I could manage with just five provided I find the right one."_

_"Wait, wait, and wait? An elite challenge?" Misty stared at him._

_Ash nodded. "I was thinking of maybe raising an Elekid but Paul already has one and it's not that appealing. I was going to go to Johto and look for a Mareep maybe… a Jolteon would do to but Eevee's are so rare it'd be hard to find one. I also wouldn't want to force it to evolve - it might prefer to be a Vaporeon or Espeon - Heck - even a Leafeon."_

_"An elite challenge?"_

_"Yes. Ampharos are quite powerful. There was this Flaafy I ran into a couple of months back. She might want to tag along with me…"_

_"An elite challenge against the Kanto elite? Against the champion? Against Lance?"_

_"Yes. The moron. You know he tried to go off on his own to take down these Hunter renegades and got into trouble. Me and Riley had to bail him out as usual. That's not counting the Mahogany Underground Rocket circle we broke into only to find Lance already there. I told him we were handling it!"_

_"Agatha, Lorelei, Bruno and Lance? Dragon Master Lance? Water Master Lorelei Prima? Lorelei?"_

_"Yes, her too. Haven't met her since the Orange Islands. Haven't been there in a while."_

_"Ash!"_

_"Yes? Misty?"_

_"You are going to explain to me right now what in Kyogre's name you are talking about! Got it! Right! Now start talking you prat!"_

* * *

><p><strong>[14:14PM] – 26th May – Pallet Town – Lance, Erika<strong>

Zo's prediction proved true, as Lance and Erika landed down, the latter tumbling to the ground and curling up next to it, a step away from kissing it emphatically when Lance dragged her up. "Come on. You can worship the earth later, but first we have to find Ash."

It didn't take them long either, in fact they almost walked into him, as he teleported in front of them.

"Dammit Ash! Don't do that again!" Erika cried out in frustration, although whether it was from the sudden appearance, or the two hour flight of hell was hard to tell. Lance himself looked a second away from punching Ash but the aura guardian had the sense to back up, eyes blazing angrily.

"I did what I had to. I didn't ask you to follow me. I explicitly told you not to and if you continue to do so the consequences are your fault."

Whatever angry rant Lance had been preparing died, at seeing the defensive elite, eyes a burning gold, hands raised in a surrender sign, and shoulders tense, as if prepared to fight or flight at any moment.

"We just want to spend time with you before the end." He said, simply.

And, thankfully, Ash accepted that.

* * *

><p><strong>[15:14PM] – 26th May – Pallet Town – Lance, Erika, Ash (Chikorita, Dratini, Raichu, Eevee, Lucario, Zorua)<strong>

"I still don't get why you revealed yourself." Lance asked later, as the landscape around them finally settled down, as if they were approaching a town, even if they trio knew better. Dragonite and Dragonair had flown off again, and Rai and Va had persuaded Ash to stop teleporting, due to its increasingly erratic nature of the jumps.

"I not only needed your co-operation, but I needed you not to look into the identity issue. Didn't realise the scholar was hiding there though and that threw things out of perspective. The Meowth was out of the bag then."

Somewhere an anthropomorphised cat sneezed.

"So do you go around quoting your own gravestone a lot?" Lance quipped.

Ash glared at him. "It was my first time back in Kanto for four years and it was the place I died. It seemed appropriate. I can't help it if you have a bad taste in poetry."

Erika rolled her eyes, "Says the man who can't even quote it correctly." she muttered. "Imbeciles."

The two men ignored her.

The land below them became increasingly dusty, and Chikorita sneezed in surprise, after pausing to sniff a flower. Pale white ash floated into the air, like an ethereal ghost. Erika shivered. "It's worse than Lavender." She whispered. "Actually, no, screw that, nothing can be worse than Lavender but this… it's terrible because everything still looks so beautiful."

"Preserved in time." Ash said, quietly. "Like living in a photograph."

Then they rounded the corner.

What once, would have been a perfect, picturesque town, was simply not there. It was as if someone had plucked it out of the earth, leaving behind a large crater, filled with rocks and burnt out husks of buildings that hung there, fragile and suspended in time. Leaning walls and fallen beams propped up by the slightest of things, flowers creeping around the ruins and icy growing along the cracks in the ground. It was beautiful, as Erika had said, but it was terrible too.

"The ranch was up there." Ash gestured, seemingly indifferent to his hometown's burnt out shell, even if on the inside he was crying and screaming with rage and sorrow. His mother had died here, after all. "My mom's house was nearer the sea, and Mist and I rented a place nearer the lab to the north, near route one where the new trainers would start out."

Va pressed herself to Rai, her form settled into that of the defect Eevee, ears dropping. Lucario stood silently by his master, red eyes staring at the scene. His ear twitched, and his muzzle turned slightly, tasting the air.

"Cario Lu RoRio." (There is a human, near the south of the town.) He barked, and Ash stiffened, repeating the message.

"South?" Lance strained his eyes to the south, pacing slowly and silently towards it. Erika followed, and Ash trailed behind, their footsteps leaving no trace in the dry, hard dirt. It was easy to almost imagine the flames, as they consumed the village and its occupants, still screaming. The left over aura hung in the air, an oppressive plea for help which seemed to situate near the centre of the village, near where the Pokémon league memorial had stood. Ash's feet itched to head there, to find the gears he knew were hidden there, but he consented to following Lance for the moment.

"Who is that?" Erika squinted.

"Your eyesight is better than mine." Lance admitted, before cupping his hands to his mouths and shouting. "Ahoy! Who goes there? Rebel or Team?"

"Half the divide!" the call echoed back, and Lance could now make out the figure approaching through the ash stained air.

Dutifully, Lance responded to the code. "Join to the whole!" he stepped towards the figure, observing the grey Pokémon by their side and the small yellow on the shoulder of the figure. He moved forwards, Erika following like a lost little puppy.

"That's such a stupid code." Zo mumbled, peering off into the distance, trotting behind Rai and Va who had moved forwards to greet the stranger. Ash however had stopped, frozen in place. "Okay there Shads?" she asked, adopting Erika's nickname.

"Lance?" the person called out, stopping, "Is that you?"

"Misty?" Lance choked out, focussing in on the red hair and water type by her side, the Cerulean leader speeding into a jog towards them, shoulders slumped in relief.

Rai stopped, Va walking into the back of him and Zo tripping over the pair of them. He let out a squeak. "RaichuchuRai!"

_("PikachuPi!")_

"Mi-sty?" Ash asked, his eyes widening, as he took a step backwards. "Uhh… I'll see you in a bit Lance," he managed to speak before his form shimmered and he vanished, Rai and Va taking a more elegant route as the Eevee shimmered into an Espeon and glowing purple pulled Rai, Luca and Zo with her, out of existence.

Lance was left staring into nothing. "I hate it when you do that." He said, to thin air, before turning around to face the approaching gym leader. How he was going to spin this he was still working out.

Please let her not have that hammer of hers anywhere.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Finally! All together at last, although Misty doesn't know who Ash is, she just sees a dark stranger in the distance who vanishes away. Next chapter things will start moving again, and hopefully speed up. Ash's teleporting isn't that good, which is why he never manages to get to the right place and still has to approach the place walking. I point this out multiple times to explain why he can't simply pop from place to place and be done with this whole gear quest in an hour or so. After all, if that were possible, there wouldn't be a gear quest - would there?<strong>

**The flashback was before Ash had anything to do with SECTION or the war, or rockets. It follows after the Sinnoh Saga, he hung around with Riley for about six months and then returned to Kanto, and it is his meeting with Misty which is depicted here.**

**Enjoy the chapter and until next time ****~ Eclipse**


	19. Back Where We Started

**Chapter 19 – Back Where We Started **

_"Everything spins around in one big circle, turning endlessly. I sometimes wonder… don't you just get tired of it all, going on forever?" _Lucario

* * *

><p><strong>[15:30PM] – 26<strong>**th**** May – Pallet Town – Ash (Raichu, Eevee, Lucario, Zorua)**

_No._ The air shattered around him as he teleported away, without even giving himself a chance to look at her, lest he change his mind.

_No way._ He followed Lucario towards where the gears were, somewhere in this ruined scene of destruction. He'd grab them and get out, or be too slow and have to face her after all this time.

_Not now_. Not when he'd got so far without seeing her, staying away, the amount of times he had wanted to run back to her…

He had to get away. He had to keep her safe. Not her, anybody but her.

_Oh Misty, you never could stay out of trouble could you?_

He shoved aside a large slab of rock, gaze searching for the rocky memorial he was looking for. His dark hood was pulled up, shadowing his face in case Lance was stupid enough to lead Misty here… cut that, of course Lance was stupid enough to lead her here. It was just a question of when and he needed to be out of here quickly, before she noted his presence, pieced together the pieces…

"Here!" Zo called, from where she was nosing around, a metal plate gleaming and hanging loosely off a large white pillar. She had wiped at the metal with her tail, trying to read the writing but it was indistinguishable, melted and blackened. The white pillar itself was only white because of the ash, staining the once marble rock.

"Ro." Lucario sighed, "_You're going to make me hit it with an aura sphere, aren't you?"_

"No." Ash admitted. "Raichu. Volt Tail."

The orange mouse gained what could be the mouse version of a smirk, hopping up along a rubble patch, and jumping to a higher spot, before flinging himself into the air, spinning silently, tail silver and electricity black.

The marble cracked, Raichu's tail slicing through it like a knife. Rai landed silently, dark eyes gleaming, as Ash moved forwards towards the marble, already spotting the hole within, hollowed into the pillar. Within, a blanket nestled.

Cautiously, Lucario pulled away the wrapping, his paw brushing against the material inside, and the jackal froze momentarily, eyes gazing into the distance before he snapped his paw back, eyes wide. _"The last gear is at Indigo. This is it. We have them all. After all this time, we have all the gears."_

Va pressed herself closer to Rai, as if she was scared he would vanish, if she strayed too far from his side. Ash's face was a carefully composed blank mask, as he slowly unwrapped the gears of fire and normality. The one was crimson red, and seemed to flicker like flames, while the other was a mix of all colours, like an artist's palette. He picked them up, weighing them in his hands.

"_We still need SECTION to send their five over." _Zo grumbled, as she licked ash from her coat.

The black Lucario shrugged. _"It saves us the bother of braving Ash's teleporting." _His voice was deadpan, and Ash shot him an annoyed look.

"_My teleporting isn't that bad…"_

"Shadow!"

His head snapped up at Erika's call, cursing, and seconds from teleporting away when Lance shouted out to him. "If you vanish you'll be dying quicker that you previously intended."

Wincing, Ash remained where he was, only shifting away from the marble and half turning to face the approaching humans and Pokémon. He had abandoned Lance too many times in the past few days. He couldn't do it again, but even this… Lance was pushing it now, with Misty now in the picture. What was she even doing here, away from Cerulean? Lance had said he had an agent collecting the seaward gears – was it _Misty_ he had been referring to? He could run now, but in his conflict of desperate longing to see his girlfriend's face, hear her voice, and the noble part of him trying to save her the pain, trying to hide his own as he headed towards his impending doom, it was likely any phase he made would be several miles of target. He wasn't going to risk it, so close to journey's end but with so many things which could go wrong.

Not to mention he needed the two gears that the Cerulean Gym leader had with her.

"This is Leaf's mystery man?" he heard Misty's voice ask. It was so painful, being so near, yet so far. He wished he could hear her voice filled with her usual warmth, instead of the wary, haunted tone.

Erika hummed. "Yup. He's been collecting the gears to save the world and shit. Hey! Shads! You weren't going to run off without Misty's gears now, were you Shadow?" Erika chirped, eyes gleaming with mischievousness. "Didn't think it through, did ya?"

"Which is why," Ash spoke evenly, calmly, "I have you running after me to remind me."

"I'm not your personal lapdog!" Erika snapped.

"No? Could have fooled me."

Erika swore at him, and Misty looked shocked that fair, little Erika had used such language.

Ash titled his head to one side, a lopsided grin on his face, even if the others couldn't see it. "You flatter me love," he drawled, "But another time, hey? Got to save the world first."

Erika consented to him, sighing. "So you got them then?" she motioned to the gears in his hand.

Lance ran a hand through his hair, "Misty, meet Shadow, Shadow, meet Misty." He pretended to introduce the pair, although his tone was laced with hidden irony, "Aura guardian, and Cerulean gym leader."

Ash merely nodded, and Misty just eyed him warily, before speaking. "Hello. I'd say nice to meet you, except in these times it isn't, and I'd say thanks for helping us and hand over the gears, except I don't trust you."

Wow. So blunt. The war and years of hiding in Cerulean Caves had made her wary of strangers. Then again, she had never been that friendly in their journey when they met, although since he had destroyed her bike it might have just been him on the receiving end of the

"_Help_ you?" Ash laughed, bitterly. "What makes you think I'm helping you? I'm doing this for myself."

Lance spoke up, eyes blazing gold. "And we're going with you to temporal tower whether you like it or not. We've been over this already _Shadow_." The emphasis on the name was clear. He didn't like keeping his identity hidden, and was all too willing to use it as blackmail material.

"Zo, scout the route north and west." He told the fox, who shivered slightly at the tension in the air before bounding away like a puppy on crack. "Fine," He nodded in agreement with Lance. "We'll do things your way. For now."

**[15:35PM] – 26****th**** May – Pallet Town – Lance, Erika, Ash, Misty (Chikorita, Dratini, Raichu, Eevee, Lucario, Zorua, Golduck, Pichu)**

Misty moved over towards Erika, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the strange aura guardian as possible. There was something about his voice that sent shivers up her spine, and she didn't know yet whether it was bad or good. It scared her.

Erika was staring curiously at the Pichu on her shoulder. "Hey girl!" she greeted the mouse, who waved at her happily. "Found yourself a trainer?"

"She was with you?" Misty asked, "I picked her up, lost on Silent Bridge."

"That was where you wandered off to, huh?" Erika mused, before answering the question, "Lance managed to nick some Pokéballs from the Saffron HQ and crack them open. Being the expert that he is, he picked the Pichu, the Chikorita and a dud. Hey! Lance! Don't go into Pokéball manufacturing!"

The champion was conversing in low tones with Shadow, and Misty got the feeling that they were talking about her. He waved in response to Erika's comment, but didn't turn around.

"Have you met him then?" Misty asked, "Shadow I mean?"

The dark haired girl nodded. "He rescued me from Celadon, and then helped us break into Saffron HQ. He got on quite well with Sabrina." Misty wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not, and judging by Erika's tone she was also undecided, "I followed him to Lavender too – that place was a nightmare – then he headed up to the Power Station and I went to Vermillion. Being the sort of guy he is, he turned up there several days later – late, as usual, missing our ship raiding."

"I wasn't late." Misty didn't turn to look at the hooded man, with the Raichu stalking behind him, "I arrived exactly when and where I wanted to."

A Vaporeon skipped forwards, purring at something.

"Okay, so the coordinates were slightly off." Shadow admitted, "But it was still pretty close."

Now it was the mouse's turn to chirp at his trainer, but the dark man silenced him with a glare. The orange Raichu flicked his ears in amusement, before bouncing off to meet the incoming red and black fox. The fox – a Zorua – skidded to a halt, "Road looks clear."

Misty blinked. Did the purple fox just talk?"

"Ta Zo. How far did you go?" Shadow asked, as if it was an everyday thing.

"Shifted to a Pidgeot and flew up to Viridian and back. Five. Minutes. Flat. I'd like to see your Dragonite do better." She directed towards Lance.

"Keep dreaming." Lance responded. Oh good. She wasn't hearing things.

"The Zorua talks?" she had to clarify though.

The fox glanced at her. "Zo? Rua Zo, Zorua." (Talk? I'm not talking. You must be hearing things.)

Misty blinked.

Erika giggled slightly, "Yes, she can speak the human language. She's just messing with you – don't worry."

The fox had the dignity to look mareepish. "Sorry. Yes, I shift to a human sometimes, and I need to learn how to talk properly. I had to rely on telepathy when I was young but A- Shadow taught me to speak. He tried to teach those three…" he tail flickered towards the Raichu and Vaporeon, and the black Lucario that had been skulking quietly in the shadows. "But only Luca learned, and he sticks to telepathy anyway. Rai and Va never managed to pronounce the letters."

The mouse let out an annoyed, "RaiiiChuuu…" (Don't you dare…)

The Zorua ducked her head apologetically. "Ignore Rai." She told Misty cheerfully. "He's stilled pissed he got zapped by Zapdos's thunder – no pun intended. And that was yesterday. Or the day before…" Zo paused, frowning, "Recently…" she corrected, as if her short term memory problem didn't worry her at all.

"We're heading north then?" Lance directed towards the group, "Because I don't think any of us want to hang around here for too long." The red head looked stressed, running a hand through his messy spiky hair.

"North west." Shadow corrected, "If you want to wander along the Rocket infested Route 1 though then feel free. They'll have your head on a pike positioned at their headquarters in centre city. It would be Saffron but I heard the three elites quit their post."

Lance gaped at him, and so it was left to Erika to respond. "Sounds good," She nodded, and Misty felt oddly out of place in the group. Why was it her friend and fellow gym leader got along better with a strange foreign aura guardian with a decidedly Sinnoh drawl, than she did?

Yet she kept silent, observing the trio, who despite only having met a week or two ago, seemed far better acquainted with each other than they probably should be.

* * *

><p><strong>[16:45PM] – 26<strong>**th**** May – North of Pallet Town – Slightly West of Route 1 - Lance, Erika, Ash, Misty (Chikorita, Dratini, Raichu, Eevee, Lucario, Zorua, Golduck, Pichu)**

Ten miles down the road and night was fast approaching. "I thought Viridian was closer than this." Erika grumbled, slowing to a halt, and pausing to tie up a loose shoelace.

Lance ran a hand through his hair, tiredly. He seemed to be the only one who could feel the undercurrent of tension, in keeping Ash away from Misty, Misty from being too curious about the issue, and Erika acted as a suitable barricade, setting the grass type gym leader next to Misty with the instruction to 'reacquaint yourself'. Erika had taken this to heart, and after a rocky patch in which the two were arguing about the small yellow Pichu who swapped between their shoulders every half hour, they were talking together as they once would have done, back in the gym meetings.

Misty had shared the news about Blaine's death, and Erika had, after the Lavender Explosion, acted shocked, but thrown it off soon enough. Ash was his usual, introverted self, which considering the kid's once naïve, open and honest personality was a complete turnabout. But for this war struck, memory addled aura guardian who was very, very dead, it seemed all too normal. Lance himself had taken the news in, but not the reality of it, which was his usual coping mechanism. Later it would hit him, the fact that Blaine – riddle master, lab technician, fire user – was dead and gone, killed in his own gym by rockets.

A fate that awaited any of them if they got caught.

Lance would later regret that thought, but he had, for the moment, distracted himself with various ways he could engineer a date with May. He recalled Pikachu…Raichu now – the way the mouse and the Pewter gym leader had managed to manipulate the stubbornly dense elite who refused to admit his feelings under the noble and honourable guise of 'I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship' (which true to his words, had come back to haunt him later, during the war, and after Ash's case of amnesia). The pair had eventually been successfully set up together, and the matchmaking Brock and Rai called it a good day's work.

Maybe he'd ask the mouse's assistance, get Zo as a translator. Although judging by the chiding Vaporeon, it appeared she might be a better option.

His train of thought mentally derailed. Was he honestly planning on asking a Pokémon for love advice? Was he really so infatuated with the computer coordinator that he would go to those extremes?

After a moment he realised his answer.

Yes. Yes he was.

He was dragged out of his thoughts by a cry, wrenching the air apart. Head snapped upwards, he observed a large Fearow, wheeling above them. Instinctively, his hand went for his belt, but the red and white spheres that had once lived there hadn't been there for four years. They were unnecessary baggage.

"Va!" Ash cautioned, "Get ready to hit it with a toxic."

The Vaporeon acknowledged his command with a flick of her tail. They had decided the fox should avoid morphing, lest it creep Misty out, or that she put the man and mouse and fox together to form the bigger picture.

"No!" Erika half shouted, blinking, "It's not looking for us. It's flying away – watch."

It was so hard not to try and order Dratini to hit it with a dragon rage, but Lance persisted, and indeed the large bird did pass over them, harmlessly. He frowned. What was it doing? The Spearow and Fearow that haunted route 22 were miles away, _unless_ it wasn't looking for prey, but running from a predator…

Ash had realised it before he did, moving forward with alarm, "It's being chased." He realised out loud, and Misty and Erika looked warily towards him. "_Move_. Now. Get towards the tree cover."

They hastened to comply, moving away from the hills and to the forest to the left of their path. Lance made to follow, but froze, as sounds drifted towards him, shouts and cries and the shill whistle that punctuated Rocket commands.

Ash had heard it to, and he spun towards Lance. Even beneath the dark hood, Lance could see the brown eyes flare blue. "Get moving."

Lance broke into a run.

"Zo, I thought you said this route was clear." He heard Ash snap at his Zorua.

"It was an hour ago."

"Too late now." He shouted back, "Let's just get out of their way before…"

"Lance!" Erika screamed. Up ahead the girls had vanished through the trees, and he could no longer see them. To the side of him, the air rippled, the only sign of Ash's phasing out. The wind was ruffling his hair, blowing towards him…

Blowing the sound straight towards his ears.

They had run right into it.

He burst into the clearing, a show-off between the rockets, weapons raised and aimed at the three already present. Vaporeon was growling, body oozing a purple acid, and Lucario had dropped into a fighting stance. Ash himself had one hand raised, blue sphere shimmering on it, while a black aura engulfed his left hand, which hung by his side. Zorua and Rai were nowhere to be seen.

"Stop right there rebels!" one brave grunt called out. "Move and we'll shoot."

"Shoot and we'll kill." Ash shot back.

"You're under arrest for resisting the rule of the Team Council…"

"Yeah, yeah," Ash scoffed, "We know that. What else is new?"

"Don't anger them," Lance told him quietly, drawing the attention to him, guns switching targets. Slowly he let his breath out, in a low whistle, which echoed upwards. His large dragon would not be far behind, "Well hello. Now how about we talk nicely and put the weapons down…"

"Call your Pokémon off!" the seemingly leader of the grunts called. Lance decided, to save himself a headache that the brave female was going to be elevated the name Leader, to sort out comparisons. The short guy next to her could be Shorty, and then there was a Uniform white wearing dude, a Spotty looking gangly kid…

"Only if you call off yours," he responded, mildly, but the Arbok and Golbat didn't move.

"We _will_ shoot."

Ash laughed. "Go ahead. I'd like to see you try."

It was a stalemate, neither side willing to give in. But his signal had gone out and his Dragonite was about to prove it could beat a measly Pidgeot any day of the week.

"Fire blast."

The grunts scattered, guns shooting at them, but from Ash's palm a blue-purple shield erupted, the bullets rebounding. Leader moved forwards, about to order her Arbok forward but she stopped, head twisting at an odd angle. Lance glanced upwards, devoid, for now, of the horror at seeing Rai's tail wrapped around her neck, a trap, just waiting to be sprung.

The long whip-like tail had broken her neck.

A hyper beam began forming in Dragonite's orange draconian mouth, while Raichu, perched above in the trees, leapt to a higher branch, the clouds above growling with weather, yet refusing to let go of their burden they had held for many, long years. Electricity crackled, black against the orange fur, as it danced down, striking the still standing rockets.

"Go!" Lance dragged himself into moving, pushing Misty forwards, and sending her stumbling into Ash. The raven automatically caught her, but the shield fell, and the four of them dropped as the noise of screams and Rai and Dragonite's attacks echoed over them. He pushed Misty again, "Get out of here!"

They moved away quickly, ducking as something exploded, sending torrents of flames towards them. "After them!" came the call, and it appeared as though they hadn't managed to kill all the rockets. Above them Rai hopped through the trees, and further above him Dragonite circled, guarding their backs. At some point in the chaos Ash appeared to have grabbed Misty's hand, and was dragging her along, but once he realised he let go, as if stung. The Cerulean leader didn't notice, her Golduck psychically deflecting a shard of bullets.

Erika cursed, neatly fishing up her bow, stringing it with deft fingers and picking a poisoned arrow from her quiver. "Razor leaf." She told Chikorita, who hastened to comply, and the pursuing shadows were hit with the knife sharp leaves, and deadly fletches.

Considering the rockets put off for now, she rounded and began moving, ducking under undergrowth as they tacked north.

"They're still following!" Zo materialised, making Va jump. "What do we do?"

"Keep running," Ash said, "Follow their progress. Rai, try to deflect them. Lance, get your Dragonite to do the same. Misty, keep your Golduck with you, look after the Pichu. Erika, stop shooting and start running!"

Pursued by what now appeared to be a whole contingent of rockets and what looked like a mix of magma and galactic, the four rebels tacked north-west towards Victory Road, or what was left of it. Lance wished for once things had remained simple for a change, even if in his heart he knew it would not last.

The chase was on, even if the finishing line was not yet in sight, he knew it was looming around the corner, whether he liked it or not.

Time was running out.

**AN: Lance is always so amusing to write. He's worried for Ash, infatuated with May, the general hero everyone expects the champion to be, yet calm and collected. Misty's harder, especially since I don't really think much about it – I just write the story. But with this approaching the finishing line I want to make sure everyone stays in character.**

**I'm not very good at writing battle scenes, which was why they had their little confrontation stand-off before getting out of there, pursued, of course, by a lot of grunts into the next chapter. Ash and Misty are together, even if Misty still is in the dark about his identity.**

**Also wanted to thank anybody who reviewed – your support is much appreciated and I'm glad you are enjoying the story!**

**~EclipseWing**


	20. A Cornered Predator

**Chapter 20 – A Cornered Predator**

"_So the world died and time stopped… there are worse things that can happen. The world could have exploded in a big ball of fire and then we'd have no chance of surviving. We'd have to steal the Clefairy's spaceship and visit the moon. Can you imagine that? The moon? Who'd want to live there?" _Zo

* * *

><p><strong>[17:11PM] – 26<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Slightly West of Route 1**

"There're too many of them!"

"Have a little faith!"

A sound of rushing air signified the second speaker teleporting away, and the first speaker took a couple of steps backwards, trying not to attract the attention of the pursuing rockets.

Really, it was just their luck that they finally managed to discover the Team army camp. SECTION had been curious about where they trained their grunts for years, out of Saffron, Viridian, Lavender and Fuchsia. It appeared they had finally, and quite literally, stumbled upon it.

The irony of it all was cruel, and Lance thought that Fate must have so much fun laughing at them.

He hoped Fate choked and died.

Calmly he spun around, swinging himself into a tree. The forest to the west of route 1 might not have any nice man-made paths but he was quite content with the non-man-made ones. He had played in the hills and caves as a child in Blackthorn, and found navigating the treetops quite easy. Raichu landed nimbly on the branch in front of his, dark electricity crackling in his cheeks.

"Rai Ai Chu!" he chirped in greeting, although Lance had no clue what it meant.

Swinging across to another branch, he queried, "I don't think I caught that – could you repeat it?"

The mouse didn't need to for in that instance, there were cries from the rocket line through the trees and the blurred, teleporting form of Ash, with a blue mermaid fish guarding his back.

He felt his Dratini stir around his neck, and his spine tingled as a beam shot out of the small dragon snake's mouth, hitting a grunt sneaking up on them. Lance thanked his Pokémon, before moving, Raichu running beside him, vanishing for a moment to a lower branch, tail dancing low, electric current running down it and striking at a wandering… was that a Galactic grunt? Odd space suits…

Air shattered. "Move it." Ash called up, ducking under gun fire, "Get to Victory Road."

"Victory Road!?" Lance exclaimed. "It will take an hour or so to get up there, even cutting diagonally across from Pallet!"

"Better start moving then," the younger man patronised, before his form flickered away.

Lance hopped across to a collection of large oaks, branches thickly interlocked. Swinging down, he staggered slightly before continuing forward, heading into the rocket's path.

"There he is!"

Magma, he corrected, spotting the red hoodies with… why did their hoodies have cat ears on them anyway? Then he spotted the Mightyena and cursed. If only Dragonite was not busy, fighting off Zubat swarms (he'd always detested Dark Cave) he could just ask for a hyper beam. As it was, an ice beam would do.

"If you please," he spoke to his small snake, which twisted itself, central red jewel glowing slightly.

The white beam shot out, crackling blue, and freezing the first hyena which crashed into it. The second hound tripped over the first, and Lance was pleased to see the ice statue shatter as it hit a rock. The magmas dodged, and there was a spurt of flames from a Houndoom, countering the ice.

Oh dear.

"Rai_chu_!" the orange mouse dropped down, cheeks crackling, as a thunder rippled forwards, ripping up the ground with its power. Lance took that opportunity to bolt, ducking through the undergrowth with Dratini firing one last ice beam at a magma who had avoided the large shock wave.

Well as spontaneous as this latest scheme of Erika's was, it was working surprisingly well. He knew Luca would roll in as a relief for Rai, allowing the mouse to move further away and recharge. Then it was either Misty or Erika's turn to hold them off.

He slid to a halt about five minute later in what, in this tangled forest, amassed to a clearing. Va was already there, a purple Espeon, red jewel glowing as she telepathically directed the others to find the clearing. As Lance skidded to a halt, breathing erratic, Rai dropped out of nearby tree.

"Can't you… guys… teleport… too?" he asked, blinking wearily at the pair.

Espeon's psychic voice reverberated inside his head, and being the first time, it shocked him slightly, although he was too washed out to do anything but blink at the psychic fox. _"As an Espeon I can. Rai, and Luca can follow the spatial fluctuations that Ash and I leave behind and for Zo… well it depends on her form."_

Lance blinked again. "Okay." He accepted this for now, but maybe later when he was more aware he would question her further.

A soft displacement of air and Ash staggered forwards, eyes closed but then they flickered open, a brilliant violet, glancing to Lance, and then his two Pokémon. "Zo's holding off the Zubats with your Dragonite." He said, by way of greeting. "She's always wanted to mimic Charizard's form."

"What happened to Charizard?" Lance asked, going off slightly on a tangent.

Ash shrugged. "What happened to your Salamence?" he shot back, "Stored at HQ somewhere with all my other Pokémon. Mew, I miss my team – I mean, Luca's my official aura guardian companion, and Va and Rai are brilliant to have around, I miss the others though – ya know?" He ran a hand through his hair, before realising his hood was down and pulling it back up. "At least I know they're safe. My battlers might be okay in this world… but the others…" he trailed off.

Ash had two sets of Pokémon. His battlers, which could easily take on an elite level Pokémon. Some, like his Garchomp, were completely lethal, although his Swellow, Feraligatr and Floatzel were pretty close to matching the ferociousness the dragon. Others, such as his Bulbasaur, and much to Ash's regret, his Snorlax who seemed to care more about food than battles, were what Ash deemed 'ranch' Pokémon, who lived in relative luxury at either Oak's Ranch, or the Indigo League. It wasn't that they couldn't battle, or that Ash never used them, but his 'battlers' were the few in his arsenal which could take on legendries and hold their own successfully.

This was before the war, of course.

Judging by the Eevee morph, Lance assumed that Ash would add the Jolteon to his official elite team. It had been slightly embarrassing to find out that Ash had somehow managed to beat the elites with only five electric types – a Luxray who managed to use moves that were physically impossible, a surfing Pikachu, a Eelektross which annoyingly was immune to ground attacks, a stupidly persistent Flaafy and a dual typed Laturn.

Ash always had a thing for the electric types, and after that Luxray began to use moves such as flamethrower and hydro pump, they tended to have a counter for most Pokémon sent out against them.

Still catching his breath, Lance took a moment to think about Ash current team of four, perfect for stealth and strong fighters. He reckoned that Lucario could keep up with the likes of Charizard, Pidgeot, Floatzel and Gallade, although he had yet to see the black jackal invent new combinations of moves, reserving himself to his usual, expected movepool, similar to Sceptile, Infernape, Swellow, Feraligatr, Torterra and Typhlosion. Lance had the joy of being lent Ash's Garchomp, and then kept the ground and dragon type around for as long as possible, before Ash just allowed him to look after the pseudo legendary on a permanent basis, much to his joy.

Ash's teams were an interesting collection, and relative to Ash's non-official battling background as a roaming trainer, before eventually becoming an elite. Lance himself, owned several decidedly non-dragon types, although they had mostly been rehomed with people who would care for them. His first Pokémon, unfortunately, was stuck in a Pokéball, stored back at base. Charmander had been his starter Pokémon, closely followed by the Dratini gifted to him by his clan, which remained with him nearby, flying somewhere above his head.

Footsteps could be heard, and Lance was shaken out of his musings, head snapping up. Ash tensed, ready to attack.

"Don't shoot!" Misty seemed to anticipate their panic. "It's only me!"

She appeared, breathless and ragged, her Golduck behind her, running awkwardly. "Erika's holding….them off for now… where the hell … did she get so… so…?"

She didn't finish, trailing off and Ash didn't offer an answer.

"Where are we heading, anyway?" Misty leaned back against a tree, looking to Lance for an answer, although it was Ash who spoke.

"We're heading to Indigo, and hopefully we can lose the Team, but if not, we head to Victory Road."

Misty stared at him. "Victory Road is gone." She said, blandly. "It's a mess of rubble and wild Pokémon."

The aura guardian smirked. "How do you know that?" he asked, "Nobody's been there since those mental Fearow moved into the next door route and Tohjo Falls and the Silver Pass from Johto were sealed off. With the SECTION base north west of Viridian, people take the path over the hills to Indigo anyway."

"Then why don't we go up that way?" Misty asked.

Lance choked. "Do you want to get mauled to death?" he asked, in disbelief. "I'll take my chances with an abandoned path thank you."

The red head shivered. "Leaf and I were stuck wandering around Mount Moon for a while." She admitted.

"Yeah," Lance hummed, "May told me."

"You speak to her a lot, don't you?" Misty smiled at him, "I think somebody has a little crush."

Lance stared back unabashed. "Probably." He admitted, calmly. "Once this is all over I'll ask her out and see what she says."

A choking sound was Ash trying to stifle his laughter. Lance glared at him, but it didn't work.

There was a squeak, as Erika tripped into the clearing. "Okay, so Dragonite and Zo brought the fight to the ground to give us a bit of time." Her Chikorita pranced around happily on the ground and Lance frowned. When did the little shy thing he retrieved in Saffron get to enjoy battling so much? That was going to be one dangerous Meganium one day…

That was if they made it to that one day. Maybe he should concentrate on the here and now.

Erika glanced around expectantly, oddly chirpy for someone who had just been fighting for their life and freedom. "Going?" she asked.

Ash nodded, responding. "We're heading to the Cave System. With any luck we'll lose them before then, at the worst we'll set up the cave entrance to collapse…"

"But that will barricade us in!" Misty protested, "Do you want to build your own grave?"

Ash flinched slightly and Lance spoke up before some stupid phrase like 'I'm going to die anyway' worked its way from his lips. "It's the best plan at the moment Misty. Just go with it."

The red headed woman looked like she wanted to argue, but she fell silent as the Pichu on her shoulder squeaked. "I wish Gyrados came up from the Pallet Coast with me." She mumbled.

Lance was about to respond, but there were shouts behind him, signifying the rockets had caught up to them. "Here we go again." He sighed, preparing to move. Erika grabbed his cape, dragging him over as bullets flew into the clearing.

No, wait, those were poison darts.

He glanced behind, in time to see the white space suits of the galactic team members charging towards them. "Time to go," He decided, pushing Erika in front of him.

Why it was Galactic wore such stupid suits anyway was beyond him. Were they planning to go to the moon? He was so glad Cyrus never got around to fashioning his new world, and got sucked into the Distortion World to be eaten (he hoped) by Giratina. The fashion in a Cyrus world would be completely terrible.

In his pocket, his phone vibrated, disrupting his train of thought. It was May. What was she doing phoning him?

"May, love?"

Did he just call her love?

May however seemed to find nothing amiss with this and continued regardless. "Hi Lance? How are things over-" She was interrupted before she could finish.

"Uh, can I phone you back? We've got a little rocket problem – pest control really… bye!" He cancelled the call, cutting off her exasperated voice splicing his name into two syllables. She'd kill him for it later but for now he had worse things to worry about, namely ducking the bullets heading for his head.

Weren't they going to lose these rockets any time soon?

In the Pewter base, Gary, Leaf, Brock and Dawn were staring expectantly at May. "That was quick." Dawn commented, "Did you tell him about the gears through instant techno communication or something?" she seemed impressed.

May blinked. "No." she said, numbly. "He said 'May, love?' and then that he had a 'little rocket problem – pest control'." She blinked, the words registering. "Wait, did he just call me 'love'?"

Back to Lance, Erika, Misty and Ash, and their assorted furry and scaled companions: Erika had paused to try and "shoot a few more of those bastards.'" As she acted as cover, Rai and Misty darted past. The Chikorita was shooting razor and magical leaves at them – when did it learn magical leaf?

Ash had teleported in besides Lance. "I don't think we can go much longer." He admitted. "If the Caves aren't nearby we're dead meat."

"So much for your overwhelming faith in our abilities," Lance shot back, as the pair ran side by side, ducking through undergrowth and jumping over tree logs.

"Well if you look on the bright side." Ash teleported out of the way of an incoming tree and reappeared on the other side, "At least we found their army training camp."

If Lance was not running for his life he would happily punch Ash for that glib comment. As it was, he had no need, for Erika appeared, tripping over a log (was she really clumsy or was it just him?) and collided with Ash, their breaths rushing out in a whoosh.

"Misty's holding them off." Erika told Ash, who was lying dazed beneath her.

The aura guardian blinked up at her. "Get of me!" he protested, shoving the grass gym leader off.

"Well?" Erika demanded, hands on hips as she hopped out of the way, regaining her balance, "Aren't you going to go and help?"

Lance saw Ash shift, as if about to phase away to help, but instead he glanced at Rai. Unspoken words flowed between them and the mouse headed back the way they had come.

"Why don't you tell her?" Erika asked, "She won't be mad at you … not much, at least."

"I'd tell her." Ash said, "If it wasn't for the fact that it would be twice as hard on her when I die later. She can't be put through that!"

"Not even to spend more time with you?" Lance queried, curiously wondering what he would do.

The aura guardian shook his head in an emphatic _no_.

"What…" Erika paused… "How do you know you're going to die anyway?"

"I… had a dream of sorts. After I died, I don't really remember anything, but two years passed so I must have been pretty dead. I think I was with Arceus and he told me … Well… I think it was him. I don't really remember. It could have been Darkrai and I wouldn't have known."

"What exactly did god-on-high tell you?" Erika asked, suspiciously.

"That there was a balance and that I have to keep that balance, by dying when I'm meant to." He sounded so forlorn about that, like a sibling who had just been told that their parents preferred their sister, or a lover who dumped them for someone else. It was so unfair on Ash, and he'd been carrying the burden for so long, hiding it from the world, burying it inside, burying himself so deep inside himself that the sarcastic, heartless monster on the outside in no way reflected the inner person.

"What? So some deity has a giant book of fate in which your death is written down at the start of time?" Erika quipped back at him.

Ash scoffed. "Not likely. More like, there's a death written down, and Arceus picked me, since I was already half-way there and he figured he could get a little bit more use from his chosen one." And he sounded so bitter, so defeated, not even trying to alter his fate, just sitting there and taking it, alone, and isolated, a little rocky island in the middle of the sea of fate, trying to wash him away. "It's like this," he explained. "As I said it was a balance; think of it like a set of scales. You put on a pebble to one side; you have to put one on the other side to balance. One side is labelled 'death' and the other 'life'."

"So now…" Erika frowned. "The scales are frozen? No, that wouldn't work. Okay, the life scale is really, _really_ unbalanced?"

Ash shrugged. "Ask the deity." He told her.

A twig cracked. "What are you guys doing standing around?" Misty appeared, panting. "Aren't we meant to be running for our lives?"

Ash teleported to help back up Rai, and Lance was left wondering whether fate could be averted, or whether they would just have to follow the stream.

* * *

><p><strong>[19:00PM] – 26<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Slightly West of Route 1**

Misty stumbled to a halt as the thick forest opened out. They had been running from the grunts for two hours or so now, as she was close to dropping. Finally though, finally they had reached Victory Caves, the supposedly ruined path to the Pokémon league.

Erika was already there along with that… Misty wasn't sure what it was, because she could have sworn it was a Vaporeon, but it had cycled through so many Eevee evolutions recently that she could be mistaken. She frowned. No, she wasn't mistaken; the Eevee could just switch evolutions as if they were forms. It was downright unnatural. Not to mention the brown furred, black eared Eevee looked startlingly similar to the poor bedraggled thing Ash had looked after, before he died.

The currently Flareon was standing next to Erika as Misty made her way over, Golduck slightly ahead of her and Pichu on her shoulder.

Come to think of it, didn't Ash nickname the Eevee he rescued Va?

And she could have sworn she heard Lance call the electric type 'Rai', although since he was a Raichu it wouldn't be surprising.

Maybe she was just reading too much into this, and seeing _him_ at every stranger she saw couldn't be healthy.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the grass leader moved over to her. "You okay?" Erika asked, examining her for injuries. "No? Good, because Lance and Shads have a plan – I hope – and the instruction to us was 'keep out of the way'."

"How nice." Misty sighed, "And what's with the nickname? Shads?"

"Shads. Shadow… he tries to be a dark, scary man, but really he's just a lost, broken soul. You just need to get under the surface."

Misty frowned; Erika seemed to be hinting at something here and she had no clue as to what.

The odd sound of air and space being ripped apart signified the arrival of the mysterious Shadow. "Lance here?" he asked, spinning around, "No. Fine. Luca find the cave – Va grow a defence – Er, can you help?"

The green eyed girl nodded, "Just tell me where."

Misty realised: The thing was Lance and Erika both just accepted him as a leader, regardless of what he said. This strange mysterious Shadow acted as if he had known them for months, and not weeks.

"Incoming!" Lance darted past as if his cloak was on fire, but didn't make it much further as the earth below him gave way, and the champion fell through into the earth.

Misty blinked. It was one of those; blink and you'd miss it moments. Lance had been here a second ago, and then the earth had collapsed under him.

Shadow gazed curiously, but not overly worried at the hole in the ground, soil dribbling down into the black abyss. "Hey Lance? Are you dead?"

"I'm okay! Thanks for asking!" he sounded oddly cheerful for a person who had just been swallowed by the earth.

Shadow examined the hole for a moment more, before deciding something. "Erika, get in. We just found Victory Caves." He glanced back down at Lance. "Well." He considered. "Our dragon tamer fell in it, but still." He glanced at Erika. "_Now."_

"What?" the grass leader squeaked. "No way! I'm not jumping into that pit – you must be insane – no wait, I'm sorry, I forgot you are insane –_ if you think_…"

Shadow didn't stop to listen to what she thought, for he moved forwards, grabbing her arm and teleporting, leaving Misty alone above ground. She stared, dazed at the spot they had been, and feeling rather left out, the third wheel of an already three wheeled vehicle.

Shadow reappeared. "Va change of plan. Give them light… Luca get back here and Rai…" he paused. "Where's Rai?"

Why do you call him Rai? Misty wanted to ask, but hearing the worry in his tone, she followed his gaze as the pair glanced back towards the treeline, eyes widening slightly at the large group of battered, burnt, electrified team grunts, which were still relentless pursuing them.

Shadow curled his lip. "They just don't know when to quit, do they?" he scoffed, under his breath, before motioning for Misty to drop into the hole. After seeing the method he had used to get Erika down there, Misty didn't hesitate before leaping down, being swallowed by black earth.

* * *

><p><strong>[19:05PM] – 26<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Victory Road Entrance **

She landed on something soft, and there was a huff as whatever she landed on fell over under the impact. The cursing told her she had landed on Lance, and she hastened to get off him.

"Warn me next time you're going to drop in," he told her, hair dusty and full of dirt, illuminated by the pale, eerie glow of the needle furred Jolteon. Misty stared at the electric type, who had started out as a water type, before shrugging and turning back to the surface. Her Golduck landed agilely next to her.

In her arms, ChuChu let out a squeak, cheeks crackling with electricity and providing more light. She could see the silhouette of Shadow still above ground, with his Lucario.

"Are you sure your plan is going to work?" Lance called up to the aura guardian, frowning slightly.

"Oh ye of little faith," Shadow drawled, and shooting him a wolfish grin. "Be ready to run. You'll know when."

"What? When? _Why_?" Misty asked, frustration growing at being left out of this circle, needing to know. "What are you planning?"

The figure grinned down at them; gaze flicking up to what must be the oncoming grunts. "Lucario, use earthquake."

Lance dragged her and Erika out of the way, following the flickering glow of the Jolteon as they fled the epicentre, losing themselves in the darkness of the catacombs.

* * *

><p><strong>April 2013 – I'd say we're nearly there, except we're really not, and that even once this plot is finished, I have added several chapters which cover the period before this story, acting as prequel glue, sticking together the flashbacks. I just finished writing Ash's elite challenge, which was a pain to write five, full battles in a row. It's late at night and I should really have done some work instead of sitting here writing.<strong>

**I'm doing a review of earlier chapters, rewriting the odd little section to help with continuity or correct grammar. If you notice any errors please point them out so they can be changed. I don't have a beta reader, and so have to make do with myself, reading and re-reading. You might notice the first two have been changed, and corrected.**

**Also, because we are nearing the end, if there are any questions you want answered (aside from the obvious) please ask, so I can write the answer into the next chapters.**

**Misty's starting to guess, but with all the chaos can't actually get around to thinking too deeply about it. I'm sorry for the rubbish battle scenes, but faced with that many grunts there isn't much to do other than run away. I'm sure Ash and Erika would love to just stay and fight, but Lance would drag them away, saying something about 'suicidal morons' so I was left with their hit, distract and run fighting, which I hope worked out alright. **

**Hope you enjoyed reading, and thank you for remaining on this marathon journey with me. Word-count is around 91 000 posted, and a total of 140 000 written. Thanks for the support and sticking with this tale. I definitely would have stopped a while back without some of those reviews!**

**~ Eclipse**


	21. Soul Sleep

**Chapter 21 – Soul Sleep**

"_We've been silent for so long we've forgotten how to speak." _Unknown

* * *

><p><strong>[19:45PM] – 26<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Victory Road - Somewhere**

Ash: "Zo? How the _hell_ did you get here?"

Zo: "Uh… I teleported…?"

Lance: "Where's Dragonite?"

Zo: "I don't know. He flew off like someone had offered up human sacrifices."

Lance: "My Dragonite doesn't eat human flesh."

Erika: "_No?_ Good to know."

Misty: "Why are we whispering?"

Erika: "Because this whole place is spooky?"

Lance: "Because the rockets managed to follow us in?"

Misty: "How? I thought you killed the entrance with that insane plan of yours."

Ash: "I did kill the entrance. The entrance we used at least. Then there's the real entrance, the caved in entrances and… well… they just happen to have a Rypherior which knows horn drill and dig."

Lance: "Dammit."

Erika: "How do you know?"

Lance: "Know what?"

Erika: "Not you. A…Shadow… How do you know that the Rypherior knows horn drill and dig?"

Ash: "It…*cough* uh…no reason."

Lance: "I don't want to know. Erika - stop asking Shadow questions that are going to have a weird answer."

Misty: "All his answers are weird."

Ash: "Well aren't you nice?"

Misty: "I try my hardest sweetheart, but it's rather difficult when our guide doesn't even know what direction to go in!"

Ash: "I do know! North! I'm heading north!"

Misty: "Are you sure?"

Ash: "Of course I'm sure!"

Misty: "Positive?"

Ash: "Yes!"

Lance whispered to Erika, "Even if she doesn't know who he is, they still act just like usual."

"Do you know where we're going?" Erika asked him, peering at the red haired champion in the dim light from the Eevee morph's electrified needles.

The champion shrugged. "Maybe… I think this is right direction. At least, I _hope_ it is."

There was a loud screech from within the cave depths.

"And if it isn't?" Erika dared asked, chewing nervously on her lip.

Lance swallowed. "We get eaten by an angry Ursaring?"

"Or get clubbed to death by some obsessive stalker grunts." Zo grumbled. "Seriously, they chased us for over an hour. What is _up_ with that?"

"They want us captured." Ash stopped arguing with Misty to speak up, "Dead _or_ alive."

"Why _us_…?" Misty asked, wide eyed, "What it is that is so special about four rebels?"

There was a heavy silence which Misty, Erika and Ash seemed unwilling to break. Lance however, seemed to completely disregard it, speaking up. "Because one is the champion, the other two are gym leaders and the last is an aura guardian. Three are responsible for raiding their high security HQ and we're probably on their most wanted list."

"I'm offended." Ash admitted, "I mean, I've been causing trouble for them for years now, and only now do they deem me important enough to make most wanted?"

"What did you do?" Misty asked no mockery in her voice, "Escape from Sinnoh?"

It was a Sinnoh accent, the Celadon gym leader realised that had recently layered Ash's voice ever since Misty had joined them.

Ash nodded. "Something along the likes of that... Annoyed Galactic, stole a boat, got lost and caught and ended up _back_ on Sinnoh. Pissed of Galactic a little bit more and managed to escape to the northern mainland. Took a while to get down to Johto, and then I had to battle my way through that mess." He whistled, "It's not nice."

"You're going to have to tell us that story someday." Lance glared at the aura guardian, who flinched slightly.

"Sinnoh is a mess." He admitted. "I think almost all the gym leaders and elites have vacated to the southern coast, that is, if they're still fighting otherwise I think they're in Johto. I think I saw Volkner in Blackthorn." He paused. "Yep, was definitely Volkner - I'd know that hair anywhere. He was with his girlfriend."

"Jasmine..?" Erika asked. "We used to be friends before the war."

"You still are friends." Ash corrected.

"Did you spend long in Johto?" the champion asked, ducking under a rocky overhang.

The dark haired man shrugged. "Yeah, for a while... I… Riley was there with Cynthia. They've given Sinnoh up as gone, although apparently the Hoenn elites, Drake and Phoebe are leading a force there. Apparently though they can't, or _won't_ give help to Kanto. Something about the Indigo League breaking apart…" Ash shot Lance a curious glance.

The champion looked uneasy. "We were all for working with them, but that moron Goodshaw refused. Then again he was in Silph Companies pocket and they are in turn, working for Rocket." He sighed, "If there's one thing I can say, it's that I'm glad you killed him."

"Don't say that!" Misty looked shocked. "You… killing isn't good no matter which way you look at it!"

"Oh?" Ash glanced at her slight figure, with a Pichu clinging to her shoulder. "I heard you were dating that electric elite." His voice was flippant. "If you had the chance to kill his murderer would you take it?"

Turquoise eyes grew cold. "Shut up." She snarled. "Don't talk about Ash like that! He wouldn't want me to become a murderer! He…" she stopped herself, shaking her head. "I'm not talking about this."

There was an awkward silence, and Erika glanced at Ash, who had flinched slightly. Even in the shadow of the cave, and the depths of his hood, she could see the raw pain that lay in his eyes, which were swirling between gold and silver.

"The war changes people." She said, quietly. "I don't think any of us were the same people we were five years ago."

Lance ran a hand through his spiky hair, which was run through with dirt and cobwebs. "I still can't believe Cynthia and Riley withdrew from Sinnoh." He sighed.

"It's a lost cause." Ash shrugged. "After Hoenn declared itself neutral Aqua and Magma moved in from the south to confirm their reign. They probably would have done the same here except Rocket… well… I guess even criminals have standards and working with scum like the rockets is lower than they'd stoop." He shrugged. "Johto is in about the same sort of mess that we are; they just have more people on their side. They lost Goldenrod and Mahogany, but the latter isn't a surprise at all, knowing the number of secret tunnels under there…"

"My cousin and the clan kept Blackthorn under wraps. It's in the mountain," Lance added, "Easy to defend."

"Falkner lost Violet." Ash sidestepped to avoid stepping on Zo who had paused to sniff a shadowy crack. "And Morty lost Ectreteak. They kept Cianwood though, the other side of the Whirl Islands, but it's so separated from Blackthorn the other side they're having problems communicating between the two."

"So even…" Misty's voice cracked. "Even if we manage to get time started and kick the Team out of Kanto, we've still got all the other regions to go?" she asked, voicing all their fears.

Erika was silent. She wanted nothing more after clearing Kanto of rockets to curl up and ignored the other regions. She would not be the only one, but at least she had the courage to admit that they needed to help them. They needed to end this.

They would have to help, whether they liked it or not.

But could they really keep fighting, after time restarted and Ash died once more?

* * *

><p><strong>[20:13PM] – 26<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Victory Road - Somewhere**

It was Erika, yawning who eventually convinced the others to stop and sleep. "I mean," she said, as she curled up with Chikorita in her lap, "It was only this morning that we were all still at Vermillion, and Misty was at Cinnabar. We should…" she stopped to yawn again.

"Agreed," Lance dropped down beside her. "I have food."

And that was that, stuck, in the caves once known as Victory Road, now delegated the title of 'Ruins', the four weary travellers stopped to rest, Lance's Dratini remaining on guard, curled up over an overhanging ledge, dark eyes bright in the darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>[00:04AM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Victory Road - Somewhere**

Ash wasn't sure what woke him up, but his eyes shot open, senses wary at…

Something…

It wasn't very helpful, the odd feeling that screamed danger, and he uncoiled gracefully from where he had fallen asleep, half propped up against the wall, hood shadowing his face, eyes a currently vivid emerald green.

His movements roused Zo who, for reasons unknown to all but her, had decided to curl up on his stomach. Rai and Va lay, curled together so tightly you couldn't tell where one ended and the next began. The mouse stirred but quietened, tail flickering with a yellow and black glow before dying.

"_What is it?"_ Zo asked silently. At the aura telepathy, Luca opened one blood red eye, instantly alert.

"_Lance's Dratini was keeping watch. How is he?"_

A soft scurrying was heard as Zo bounded up, shimmering into a small Pidgey and winging her way to the ledge where Dratini had sat. _"He's gone."_ Zo frowned, anxiously shimmering into a small Vulpix, then a Shinx and back to her usual form.

"_What do you mean gone?"_ The quiet black Lucario asked.

"_I mean gone. Gone, __**gone**__… As in – not there." _Zo mentally pouted. _"I don't know where."_

"_Calm down."_ Ash instructed, _"Let the others sleep. I'm sure it's nothing…"_

He glanced around, at Lance and Erika, the latter having decided at some point in the night that Lance made a good pillow, and his cape was a perfectly good blanket. Across from them Misty was wrapped around Pichu, in much the same way she had wrapped around Togepi or Azurill. A lock of hair had fallen in her face and Ash gently reached down and tucked it behind her ear, smiling gently at the softly freckled face.

"_Found him!" _Zo declared, bouncing up, followed by the small snake. _"There are rockets in the tunnels, about ten minutes away. We should get going."_

Ash moved. "Wake the others." He said, out loud, instantly waking Rai and Va who sat up, ears pricked.

"_More running?"_ Rai sighed.

"_It's slimming."_ The now Leafeon told him, uncurling himself from where she was wrapped around him. _"Up you get."_

Erika was quite amusing to wake up, especially as she initially just curled herself deeper into her pillow, namely Lance. The red head woke up quicker, yet couldn't move due to the grass user on his stomach.

"Uh – Erika..?"

"What..?" she mumbled sleepily, half opening her eyes and seeing Lance's face peering down at her. With a startled cry she sat up, flinging his cape of his in disgust. "What the hell? Lance!"

The red head gaped at her, "What did I do? You're the one who decided I make a nice bed!"

"Yeah, but now you have to tell May I slept with you!"

"_On_ me..!"

"Same difference..!"

"How is this, _my_ fault?"

"Because you're the big over protective brother who happens to be wearing a very nice and warm cape..!"

"Shut up!" Misty snapped, just the same as Ash remembered, an irritably morning person. "Let's just… get going so we can go back to sleep again – got it?

She staggered to her feet, heading unsteadily off down the corridor.

"Uh – Misty..?" Ash called, "It's the other direction."

She spun around silently and stalked of the other way. "I knew that." She muttered, "Stupid moron."

Ash wondered how someone who was already moronic could be stupid as well as a moron – wasn't it sort of contradictory or just like saying the same thing twice? - Before he realised that she had insulted him, a scowl working its way onto his face. Grabbing his pack, he stalked off after her, followed by a still bickering Lance and Erika.

* * *

><p><strong>[00:19AM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Victory Road - Somewhere**

The sleepy company hurried north through the catacombs in relative silence. Their footsteps thudded on the cracked soil, and in the distance, a wild Pokémon roared, making them nervous.

"How far do you think it is?" Erika's voice broke the silence.

Ash shrugged. "Who knows? Has anybody been through here before?"

"I have." Lance admitted. "It took ages, that's all I remember."

"Well that's a load of help," Erika snapped. "This is going to be one hell of a boring journey."

"Let's make it more interesting then," Misty said, quietly, "What's your favourite Pokémon?"

"Dragonite," Lance answered, instantly.

Ash frowned, "Like that wasn't obvious. I can't really say without offending one of my team. Probably … Charizard …"

"Hey!" Zo complained, and Rai grumbled something under his breath which Ash missed, although it sounded suspiciously like 'fat overgrown lizard'.

Erika hummed, "Chikorita," she said, hugging her starter to her. The Pokémon in question let out a happy squeak. "But Bulbasaur and Oddish are cute as well. What about you Misty?"

"Azurmarill," She said, "And Psyduck and Golduck are totally awesome."

Lance burst out laughing, which hid Ash's choked attempts to hold back his chuckles. "This is your Psyduck?" the champion glanced at the water type. "He _evolved_?"

"Gol!" the blue duck announced proudly.

"Wow – congrats!" Erika told the duck, who puffed up his chest proudly. "Okay, my turn. What was your easiest battle ever? Mine was this poor kid who sent out a Squirtle and I sent out Gloom and the poor unlevelled turtle didn't stand a chance. His next Pokémon was a Magikarp which thankfully did _not_ evolve during the battle. It only knew splash as well."

"Probably a rocket grunt, up north in Johto who challenged me and sent forth a Rattata, professing it was in the top percentage of Rattata everywhere." Ash frowned, "Strange kid. Lucario hit it with an aura sphere and that was that."

"A Zubat," Lance said, "I used to get Dragonite to use thunder on them in Dark Cave south of Blackthorn. We were training there and some picnicker picks a fight, and sends out a Zubat. Easy."

Misty thought about it a second. "This challenger came to my gym all prepped out with electric types. I sent out Quagsire."

Lance chuckled. "Good one. Okay… how about – hardest battle?"

"Six on six," Ash spoke up first, "I lost really badly, and it put me off battling for a while before my friends could cheer me back up again. I battled the guy again though and won."

"It's not hard, per say," Misty pondered, "But we never ever seem… seemed to get around to finishing it. His Pikachu either refused to fight me, or Togepi used Cute Charm to infatuate him, and it never really seemed to go anywhere. We would always draw or get interrupted mid-way."

Ash glanced away.

"I battled Whitney once." Erika admitted, keeping the conversation rolling, "And every time I would whittle down her Pokémon she'd get her Miltank to use Milk Drink and be healed right up. Gloom was using absorb and giga drain, and it just kept going back and forth. What about you Lance?"

The red head winced, glancing at Ash who pretended to ignore the look. "I lost to a challenger who only had a team of five," he admitted, and kept it like that. Everyone knew who he meant. "I beat him next time though." He added, rather positively, as an afterthought.

Ash longed to shoot back a comment, and barely refrained from speaking, when Misty spoke up.

"Uh… Shadow?" she asked curiously. "I don't want to sound rude, but what's up with your…" she frowned. "Eevee?" she ventured, despite the current Jolteon padding along in front of her.

"TeoEev," Va flickered her ears nonchalantly. (She's actually asking rather nicely.) "JolTeo," (You can tell her).

Ash nodded at the consent his Eevee had given him. "She can morph." He told the Cerulean leader, "Between her evolution forms. Her genetic make-up is really unstable due to Rocket experiments and then …" he winced slightly.

"They dropped the Eevee into a vat of toxic sludge." Zo finished for him, bluntly. "I think they must have wanted a poison type, but Va turned into a Vaporeon and they threw her out. A-Shadow found her when we were in Johto and helped her, and then we discovered she could morph between the forms. It scared the crap out of me when this Umbreon snuck up on me with a faint attack." She shuddered slightly.

"Va?" Misty was staring at the Jolteon. "A nickname..? Is it short for anything?"

"No."

Misty glanced suspiciously at the hooded figure, but she didn't press it.

"_Eva."_ Rai silently told them, through his aura. Ash shot him an annoyed look. _"Well at least I'm being honest!_" the mouse mentally grumbled, stalking along beside Golduck. Lucario was bringing up the rear, occasionally glancing over his dark furred shoulder.

"_She can't hear you."_ Ash sent. _"And even if she could you can't tell her. Come on buddy… we've been through this!"_

The orange mouse hopped forward, leaping effortlessly up to balance on his best friend's shoulder. "_Yes. And I want to tell PikachuPi…"_ he paused, frowning. _"There are times I forget I'm evolved." _He sighed.

"_If it's any consolation..."_ Ash added. _"I prefer PikaPi and PikachuPi to RaichuRa and RaiChuChuRai."_

"_You do?"_ Rai brightened. _"Okay then, that's good. Being a Pikachu meant I had more syllables to work with when talking, but it doesn't matter, because no matter what you're still my idiotic PikaPi!"_

"_No need for the adjective."_ Ash sighed, running a hand through his long fringe, thankful that the conversation had been averted, because he wanted to tell Misty, he really did. So long had passed, and she thought he was dead… he was as good as dead though and he couldn't do that to her. He couldn't come clean; to show her how much he had changed from the person she had once known.

Something echoed in the distance.

Ash stopped, and just ahead of him Lance froze, glancing back the way they had come. "Did you hear that?" he frowned.

"Sounds like Rockets," Zo commented, not really concentrating, her tone completely nonchalant. Everyone stopped and stared at her and she looked up, wide eyed, trying to work out what she had said wrong. "What? What did I say… oh… crap…"

"Not again!" Erika whined. "I'm outta here right now!" and she set off at a jog and a "Hurry up Va! I'm not wandering around here in the dark!"

The group hurried forward, pace speeding up.

A terrible howling split the air and Erika paused, glancing backwards. "Oh no." she whispered, heart beat speeding up as she staggered backwards, trying to put as much distance between herself and them. "No, no, _please,_ no."

There was a pounding of paws and her eyes met Ash's, the same thought running through their heads.

"_RUN!"_

Rounding the corner, with slobbering jaws and a wide, gaping maw with silver fangs, was a morph of several different species. The four paws looked like that of a Mightyena, but the fur was striped like an Arcanine, and a large scythe of an Absol curled around its head. Yet it was mismatched, patched together, fur missing in placed and hanging off in clumps. A spot on the one front leg was missing all skin, and you could see the muscle showing through the gaping wound.

Charred blacked fur of a Houndoom head had meshed with the reddish body, and the fire from its breath battled with the electricity of an Electrike, while a tail that looked broken in two places lashed out angrily.

The morph slowed down, gleaming black eyes alighting on its prey, soulless pits lacking any coherent thought, and filled with blood lust and rage. With a savage snarl it leapt forwards, speeding into a run.

Poison seemed to follow the hell hound, shadows bubbling under the white, red, black fur like a demon of the night, mindless and a single mind in pursuit of its prey.

Another one rounded the corner behind it.

It was eerily reminiscent of running around Saffron HQ, except there were no nicely lit corridors, and instead dark soil and rocks, sending you tripping over if one stumbled or slipped. Lance had grabbed onto Misty's arm to steady her at one point, and hadn't let go. Misty herself had scooped up her blue duck, and Chu clung to her shoulder. Rai raced along with his tail streaming behind him, Luca help a bone club in hand and Va…

Va had twisted around snarling, looking as if she was about to leap for the creature's throat and thought better of it, instead morphing into a Flareon and shooting a torrent of flames towards the hell hounds.

The monsters continued right through, if anything energised by the flames, and only now did Erika note the curving Houndoom horns, and realise the significance of the Arcanine stripes.

These monsters were impervious to fire.

Va promptly turned tail and fled, morphing into the swifter and light Jolteon, and racing ahead, providing a much needed light source, and with relief Zo dropped her momentary illusion of a Luxray.

"I hope you know where you're going!" Lance spat, as they rounded the corner.

"Why are you relying on me?" Ash snapped back. "Just keep running and find the exit. I'll hold them off!"

"What do you mean 'hold them off'?" Lance glanced back to his friend, only to see Ash had whirled around, gloved hands lighting up blue with Lucario spinning his bone rush grimly beside him. Va continued to run and Rai had slowed, looking after the girls. "Damn you Ketchum." Lance grumbled, before moving backwards to help his friend.

"Hey! Look!" Erika spun around, spotting light shining down from above. "It's the exit…" Her voice trailed off and she stared in horror at the two guys and their Pokémon, making what they no doubt thought was a heroic last stand against the hell hounds. "Lance! Ash!" she shouted wildly, too busy to care she had slipped and used the wrong name.

Misty had heard, and had spun around wildly at the name. She blinked, seeing only Lance and Shadow.

She must have been imagining it. Leaf was right; she had to get her head out of the past.

"Shadow..! Stop fooling around!" Erika screamed again, watching the two monsters approach at a run. A scatter of dust and Rai slid up to them.

"Rai!" he snarled, cheeks bristling with electricity. "RaiChu!" (Go! Get out!)

"He says _go_!" Zo translated, skidding into Erika's legs. "_Now_!" she emphasised. "Follow Va and the guys will come."

"But…" Erika looked torn.

"Just do what I say!" Zo shifted, form flickering purple until she was a purple haired girl, straight blackish violet hair and casual clothes, tugging at Erika and Misty's hands.

Lance wondered if he was slightly mad, staying to face these hellish creatures, but with the aura guardian at his side, he knew that he at least wasn't the only one. Drawing his sword, he spun it once, experimentally.

"The one on the left is mine." Ash said, black and blue blades forming in each hand.

"What, you're fighting too?" Lance mocked, stroking his baby dragon's scales with his free hand. "The one on the right," he claimed, preparing for the slavering jaws and soulless eyes.

Ash completely dodged the first lunge of his morph, by teleporting behind it and spinning around. The beast swirled to meet him, maw wide and Ash tried to throw a sphere towards the skull.

It hit, but the impact did nothing. Alarmed, Ash instinctively teleported backwards a metre or so, allowing Lucario to rush in with his bone staff, whirling it around while dodging the paws, flames and jaws. Ash was about to move into help, when something barrelled into him, sending him flying to the ground. He rolled over, eyes widening at the new morph which had arrived.

It might have been a Feraligatr at one point, but now it was so horribly mutated and deformed Ash could not even identify what it was spliced with. A claw slashed thought the air, and the aura guardian rolled to the side, wincing as the force of the shudder travelled through the earth and up his spine. His hands scrabbled in front of him, as a flamethrower (Feraligatr couldn't learn flame thrower!) formed.

His protect shield bubbled weakly, but held against the flames. The heat seeped through, and with a hiss Ash forced it back, the aura imbued fire hurtling towards the monster.

The alligator didn't even wince. It was as if it didn't feel the burning flames. Its fangs were growing long and icy, while its claws were extending, razor sharp water collecting at the edge.

Ash scrambled to his feet, shield deflecting the first blow before shattering, while with his other hand he reformed a blade of aura, slashing it towards the ice punch.

The scales tore, but the beast did nothing more than snarl angrily and reach its giant head forwards, jaws widening.

Ash hurriedly teleported back several metres, instantly ducking as Luca hurtled an aura sphere over his head, the blue sphere colliding with the side of the hound the jackal had been harrying, and cracking something by the sounds of it. Now lightning sparked out of the jaws, and Ash deflected it, conveniently sideways towards where Lance was parrying off blows with the other hell hound.

"I need some help." He called to Luca, before moving back to deal with the Feraligatr, which had gained a few steps, lumbering forwards. Ash spun around, aura sphere flying from his hand, hitting that fearsome head, knocking it sideways under the impact. The second sphere was battered away with a paw, crashing carelessly into the rocky wall and making the tunnel shake.

As the already fragile Victory Ruins shook, in a mock earthquake, the hell hound Lance was dealing with let out a whine, pausing to dodge a falling stalactite from the ceiling. Lance used the opportunity to lunge forwards, ignoring the bite of the electricity, and to slam his blade through the eye of the beast.

It screamed in rage, shaking its head, but only sending the blade deeper as Lance grimly held on. Glancing at the spiky, blood encrusted fur he winced slightly. "This is going to hurt." He muttered, before swinging himself around onto the hounds back, still holding onto his sword. He twisted it in deeper.

The beast wailed once more, shaking wildly to lose its unwanted guest. Its struggle was growing weak, thrashing slowing as bright crimson blood, speckled with blood dribbled out of the eye.

With one last violent jerk, which threw the champion tumbling towards the ground, the hound reared up, clawing at the air blindly before falling back down.

Lance rolled, to avoid the falling body, and it thumped down next to him, barely missing the dragon master lying there, sprawled on the ground.

Pushing himself wearily to his feet and staggering over to the fallen hell hound, Lance tried to pull his sword from the beast's eye. It wasn't easy, but it came clean, dripping with the speckled blood and with a sneer of disgust, the champion wiped it down, simultaneously spinning around to see where Ash and Luca got to.

The jackal had disposed of his hound, with what might have been a force palm to the chest, pulling apart ribs and flesh to tear out the still beating heart. The two were now trying to persuade the three metre high Feraligatr that it made a better tasting meal that they did.

Ash ducked another swipe of the claws, throwing an aura sphere while Feraligatr worried about batting aside his aura partner. Ash formed another sphere, letting it crackle with black electricity before throwing it forwards, catching the alligator on the chest and making it pause, as the static raced through him.

"There are more?" Lance stared in shock over the hell hound corpse. He was staring beyond the alligator, to the red eyes and snarling silver fangs in the gloom, the shadows creeping forward.

"Change of plan." Ash freaked out slightly and taking advantage of the paralyzed gator, he teleported back to Lance. "We might be retreating but at least we're still victorious!" and he grabbed the champion, darting for the stairs out of Victory Caverns, without waiting for the Feraligatr to recover.

Zo must have gotten Erika and Misty out, even if it was literally by pulling them up the stairs which lead to the open surface. Ash spun around to his black jackal. "Can you break the stairs?" he asked.

Luca nodded once.

"Then do it!"

Lance took the stairs three at a time, skidding slightly on loose rubble. He paused near the top, checking that Erika hadn't slipped back down, or that Rai was up there already and Misty's Golduck hadn't been forgotten.

Dratini shifted around his neck and he made for the light, hoping that Ash… _what was Ash doing now?_

At the bottom of the stairs, the dark jackal was spinning his bone club, before slamming it point first into the stairs. From the blue aura club, cracks spread outwards, like cracking ice. Ash had paused to throw aura spheres and the odd black aura blade or two at the approaching morphs, but at the horrible cracking sound of the bone rush in the stairs, he had spun around, in two teleports appearing once at the bottom of the stairs, and once more at the top next to Lance.

It appeared that his ability was working quite well today, Lance mused.

Lucario didn't hesitated, bounding up the stairs, and even his light steps made the wobbly stairs creak and crack further, and then they were falling, falling into dust and rubble and _he wasn't going to make it_. Ash had lunged forward, prepared to dive after his aura partner, but with a leap, the jackal jumped up, spinning through the air, the last few metres before landing lightly in front of his trainer, one knee touching the ground and his paws spread eagled to each side, eyes closed.

"Move away from edge!" Ash dragged Lance back, as snarling jaws emerged from the dust, spittle flying, and claws scrabbling for a grip, before sliding back down into the abyss, a whine escaping from the hell hound. Lucario spun around, throwing a dark pulse down into the hole. Growls and yelps could be heard, and Lance shivered slightly, at the memory of those silver fangs.

Ash was right. If the other criminal teams were the lowest of the low, then Team Rocket had managed to fall that little bit lower.

"Are you okay?" Ash glanced sideways at him, and he nodded, glancing around for the girls and Rai. He froze, and the champion watched as the aura guardian's body stiffened, spinning around fully to face the scene in front of them.

Lance turned, dusty and dishevelled but all of that paled in comparison to what was in front of him. He was staring a score of black suited rockets and Team members, weapons raised and pointing straight towards them, Persians snarling and a Seviper baring its fangs. Va struggled weakly under a Persian, form shifting and blurring but the cat did not release its grip. Misty and Erika were held, hands bound behind their backs and guns pressed against their head. Rai was still snarling, surrounded by three Sandshrew and a Marokwak, the electric mouse desperate to get passed, Pichu clinging to him. Golduck was knocked out entirely, lest his psychic swing the favour back around for the rebels.

Lance glanced at Ash, who was entirely fixed on Misty. Said gym leader was struggling, eyes desperate, and gaze falling on the dark haired man whose hood had miraculously managed to stay up that entire time.

Oh, Lance could continue hoping that Misty might find out before the sacrificial suicidal idiot managed to put time back together.

Misty was cursing herself mentally at the moment, and the last thing on her mind was the strange coincidences between Shadow and her dead boyfriend. If they were any similarities she did not want to see them, and with the gun pressed to her temple she had worse things to worry about.

_This was why she never joined SECTION dammit!_

She and Erika were held by rockets, along with Zo who had remained human. Ash and Lance stood there, stuck, and behind them in the pit the hell hounds screeched in anger at their lost prey, and they stepped away from them, all too aware that there was nowhere to run.

"It was a trap." Misty gasped, glancing pleadingly at them. "The hell hounds were to chase us out. It was a trap. And we fell for it."

"It was either that, or be ripped to death." Lance tried to reassure her, but it didn't really work.

"Hands up!" one called. They seemed a bit lacking in leaders, to be promoting ordinary grunts to giving orders. "Pokémon to the side and weapons on the ground, or we kill your friends."

"No!" Erika protested. "Don't!" But she saw the way Ash's body was directed towards Misty, and even if she couldn't see the pain in those brown-blue-gold-green eyes she knew it would be there. Misty had two gears. Lance had several and Ash… no… the rockets couldn't get them. Not now!

Yet she could see the utter look of defeat that seemed to frame what little of his hooded face she could see.

"Do what they say." He said, in a low voice to Lance, slowly raising his glowed hands in the air. The red-head looked reluctant, but seemed to agree.

"On your knees aura guardian," the rockets snapped, honing in on the biggest threat first.

Ash swallowed, and obeyed, dropping down.

"And you, champion! Tell your Pokémon to stand down!"

Luca reluctantly let his staff dissolve, into blue sparkles stepping slowly forward and kneeling. Dratini uncoiled himself from around his trainer's neck, sliding to the ground where an Arbok slid over, hissing threateningly.

"Hands behind your head where we can see them..!"

They obeyed. Lance and Ash both hated the shattered expression on the girl's faces, but both were in no position this time to argue. The latter was glancing around the clearing, looking for an escape, _any_ escape but it was futile.

"You are under arrest for resisting Team control. You will be taken to Giovanni, and your Pokémon either retrained or used in experiments. All objects of value belong to us, and …" the voice droned on, but all Erika could feel, captured and trapped, was an overwhelming sense of failure. This was it – their mission had come to an end. They had failed.

Failed…

She barely noted the speaker breaking off in a choked gasp, until another grunt shouting brought her back to reality.

"Stop it! Let her go Guardian!"

"I'm not doing anything!" Ash was flustered, from where he knelt, hands behind his head.

"Like shit you are," the man cocked his gun, pacing forwards towards them angrily, only making it several steps before stopping, his face curiously blank. The gun in his hand rose towards them and Misty flinched, but it continued rising, until it pressed against the side of his own head.

"_And press the trigger."_

The psychic command echoed inside her head, but it was the grunt who obeyed, and Erika shut her eyes, pre-empting the hollow shot that rang out.

Screams echoed out and protesting cries, and then there were more shots, and she knew she was _so_ dead, but nothing hit. After a pause of terrible silence, she cracked her eyes open, blinking around. There was something cold pressed to her temple, but the grip of the rocket had loosened and she pushed away the heavy arms, stumbling forwards towards Ash and Lance. The former had stood at the commotion, and she grabbed onto his jacket, staring into the shadowed face.

"Ash?" she asked, forgetting to use the nickname but Misty wasn't really listening any way. "Please tell me this is you."

"I'm not psychic Er. Sorry." Ash breathed eyes wide.

She spun around, staring at the frozen rockets, the bullets hanging in mid-air, faintly surrounded by what, from spending too much time with Sabrina, she recognised as a psychic glow.

Misty also stumbled loose, and Zo took the joy of kneeing her grunt in the crotch, but the face was curiously blank. Gaining no satisfaction from it, the purple haired girl sniffed, stalking over to Ash and the gang, totally unaware, oblivious of the psychic presence due to her dark typing.

"Tia!" (Stop!) a form shimmered invisibly, before appearing into view, as if a cloak had revealed the creature underneath. Zo almost walked into it, and she started, falling over backwards with wide eyes. The red and white eon dragon titled her wings; gold eyes staring judgementally past the fallen Zorua, at the blank faced rockets, before crooning softly, uncaring, as if dismissing the grunts. "IaTiaLalATia." (Okay, you can kill them if you want.)

The casual tone made Ash flinch. He watched as the rocket's face began to regain their awareness slowly, wondering what had happened.

Another patch of air ripple as the invisible became visible, a grey form appearing, purple tail and short cat like ears, skeletal fingers and violet eyes, glowing purple with psychic power. A worn brown travelling cloak was around his neck, a clasp holding it in place as the worn material billowed out from behind him. One arm raised, and just like that, the twenty grunts in front of them, blinking in confusion and rapidly growing anger and fear, stopped breathing.

Mewtwo was always well known for his hatred of Team Rocket.

And Erika fell to her knees, dragging Ash down with her as he patted her back, trying to comfort her, both watching them choke, clawing at their wind pipes, weapons clattering to the ground, gasped sounds escaping them and said nothing. Her gym was gone because of them, her friends dead. Once she might have protested, soft hearted and weak. But now she said nothing as she watched with grim eyes, neither pleased nor disgusting by it, just simply accepting.

Lance seemed more detached, as if the reality of the people choking to death hadn't occurred to him. He stayed on his feet, watching silently, not willing to bring himself to interfere.

And Ash… the light caught his eyes, flashing them red, and Erika shivered. The aura guardian had slumped down to the floor with her, watching the proceedings with callow indifference, and a slight hint of viciousness, which faded as soon as it appeared, only to be replaced by isolated interest and curiosity.

Misty however, who hadn't seen as much of the war as the others, who still knew what it was like, to be shocked by death, had had enough.

"Stop it!" she cried. "Mewtwo! Stop it! You're killing them."

"That's the idea." Ash spoke, drawling Sinnoh tones.

"Shut up." Misty snapped at him, staggering to her feet. "Mewtwo. Stop it. They're only human."

The head of the purple psychic snapped around at that, his stare fixed on Ash who stayed still, not meeting the Pokémon's eyes. Finally the cat conceded. _"As you wish."_

And at that, the grunts were released, falling to the floor, limp and unconscious. The purple Pokémon glanced at Misty silently as Latias spun in lazy circles, uncaring.

Erika slumped down next to Ash and cried.

* * *

><p><strong>[00:44AM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – North Of Victory Road – Somewhere**

It was the middle of the night, and according to Lance's Pokétch the day was now the 27th of May. It was so hard to believe that ten days ago, Erika had been working in her gym, practically a slave and completely unknowing of what was to come.

How things changed.

"_I'm sorry." _It took her a few moments to realise the purple Pokémon was talking to her.

"For what?" she asked still slightly freaked out by the telepathic Pokémon.

"_Celadon City was your home, was it not?"_

Her eyes widened, "Yes." She breathed.

Ash moved forward from where he had been checking the guards for pulses. It had seemed at first that he was thoroughly tempted to kill them, but he refrained, instead raiding them for supplies and weapons. "That was you?" he asked.

"_Yes."_ Mewtwo nodded, _"I wanted to ruin one of the rockets strongholds. I had been wandering the world, seeing the destruction they had wrought, and when I arrived there, I could not withhold my anger."_

Lance crossed his arms, Dratini shifting in his usual position around his trainer's neck. "So were you responsible for Lavender as well?"

Erika swallowed, and met Ash's gaze, the latter speaking up. "Lance, that wasn't Mewtwo. That was us – me and Erika. We… uh… actually I don't know what we did, we just pressed a whole load of buttons and ran like hell."

"They deserved it." Erika was surprised by the hardness of her own voice. "Those hellhounds – they had a whole basement full of experiments like them... wild and savage, half monsters, half victims."

"_The teams are vicious and will stop any who stand in their way."_

Heads swivelled to the source of the light, female sounding voice. The Latias twisted her long neck to look at them. _"What? Did you think that I, a psychic dragon could not use telepathy?"_

"Latias..?" Misty broke the shocked silence, "What happened to Alto Mare? What happened to the…?"

"_To the Soul Dew..? Rockets came, and they tried to steal my brother's spirit. In the fight it shattered, and the waters reclaimed the island. The monsters rose and any residents were killed."_ The eon dragoness was calm, seemingly detached from the incident.

"I'm sorry." Ash said, "It must have been hard on you."

"_Thank you guardian..."_

Mewtwo was looked at Ash curiously, as if he knew who stood there, yet said nothing. Mayhap a deeper levelled telepathic conversation had flowed between them, such as the link Ash seemed to hold with Zo, Va, Luca and Rai. Or maybe he just respected the elite's need for discretion. Instead, the purple Pokémon spoke to the four humans and Pokémon. _"You are near to Indigo." _He noted.

"What of it?" the Cerulean Leader challenged warily.

"_We will aid you in the last stage of your quest." _The DNA Pokémon stated, and the calm tone to his mental voice left no room for argument.

"_A dragon approaches._" Latias noted, gaze drifting to the sky.

Heads glanced up, eyes focussing on the approaching shadow in the sky. Erika felt panic set in again. Weren't they going to get a moment's peace?

"What is it?" Misty asked, peering up at the dark sky.

Mewtwo looked as if he was about to respond, but Lance beat him to it. "It's my Dragonite." And Erika felt a breath of pure relief escape her. Lance frowned, peering upwards at the sky. "He's got a message bag on – oh that was _so_ May's idea."

"A message bag..?" Erika laughed, heart lightening "How quaint. A big scary dragon carrying messages?"

The red-head glared at her.

* * *

><p><em>We're nearing the end, not quite there yet, still veering wildly towards an unstoppable end.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>April 2013 – I admit, all the A-Shadow slip ups were me, trying to call him Ash and realising I couldn't. And to anybody wondering why Misty still isn't asking Ash about anything, she's getting there. She just doesn't want to get her hopes up. Next chapter though, she finally snaps.<strong>

**I know… more morphs. It's a theme of the story, I guess, and next chapter, and the final battle you will see more examples. I hope you don't hate them too much, but it's better than fighting against normal Pokémon or humans. This chapter is probably the darkest after the Cinnabar one, and not just because they were stuck in the caves.**

_**Unknown **_**is revealed as Mewtwo, but then that wasn't a surprise to anyone, was it? Latias has previous made an appearance in the beginning of the bell chapter, gliding over Kanto. The pair seemed to have ganged together to stop the rockets. I considered using Deoxys who is probably either vacationing in Sevii or Hoenn, but as a space virus, he probably doesn't care much for human issues. Latias however, lost her home as mentioned in chapter 3, so I needed to come back and see how she was.**

**Okay, so just to confirm there is definitely going to be several prequel chapters which will be posted as part of this, after the main story had included. It will cover how Ash became an aura guardian, how he became an elite four member, the general gap between the end of the Sinnoh Saga and the beginning of this story. This story was written without the background stuff, so you can find it out as you go along, but it's going to be posted to make it all a bit clearer and to show how relationships (Ash and Riley friendship, Ash and Lance friendship, Ash and Misty romance) develop.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews – you guys are totally amazing! And even though this week is filled with mock exams and school once more, it brightens my day to read your comments and ideas!**

**~ Eclipse**


	22. Foundational Lies

**Chapter 22 – Foundational Lies**

"_I think we all had secrets we wanted hidden, or forgotten about. But the further we pushed them away and locked up the doors, the more pain they brought because they were lies festering in the shadows out of sight."_ Ash

* * *

><p><strong>[00:50AM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – North Of Victory Road - Somewhere**

They gathered around as Dragonite winged his way into a soft landing, thumping down on the soft earth. He fluttered his wings, before tucking them in against his body, cooing as Lance patted him on the head. "What do you have there then?" the champion asked his prize dragon.

Mewtwo stayed back seemingly wary of the close-knit group. He'd isolated himself for so long he was loathed to mingle, but Latias had no such qualms, greeting the Dragonite cheerfully, touching noses. She watched, golden eyes bright, as Ash pulled a package from the bag, something hard and wrapped with cloth. It clinked slightly, the sound of two crystals bumping together softly, a pure, clean note.

"It's the gears." Lance realised before Ash had even unwrapped it. "The ones from the Pewter Base – oh thank Rayquaza I wondered how we were going to get them." He paused, scratching his head guiltily. "Actually, May phoned earlier during the rocket chase and I cut the call. She might have been about to mention something about gears."

"No worries." Ash shrugged, "We've got them now – Psychic, Bug and Ground."

"Here," Misty pulled her own from the inner pocket of her red hooded jacket. "Put them all in that bag together."

"Really..?" Erika raised an eyebrow. "I think we should keep them separate, so we don't lose them at the last minute. Here," she gestured, "Give me some, and give Lance some, then we all have a few and we know they'll be safe."

Ash nodded in consent, although Misty still looked at the dark aura guardian, slightly distrustful. "Alright…" She conceded, finally. "How many do you have?"

"Three here," Ash gestured, dropping to the ground and placing the unwrapped package on the ground. The emerald, the rose and the brown gear flashed, glowing with their own innate light. "Psychic, ground and bug – and my own little collection..." And he turned his back upside down, promptly emptying his onto the ground.

"_Ash_-_Shads.._!" Erika was scandalised, barely able to change the name in time and Misty glanced at her sharply. Oh _crap,_ how could the Cerulean Gym leader miss that? "Can't you be a little more careful Shadow?" she asked, trying to repair her mistake.

The elite however didn't notice, sorting the gears out and murmuring under his breath. "Here, Erika, you take the Grass, Bug, Rock and Ghost." He pushed the two green gears and a grey stone coloured one, along with a sickly purple gear towards her.

The nature loving princess flinched. "Nu-uh... No way. I know where you got two of those from, and I don't want to touch them."

Shrugging, Ash didn't bother arguing, "Fine then. I've got the fighting because it's Luca's gear from Orre, the electric because Zapdos was hell to get past, the normal from Pallet and the rock gear from Lavender." He grabbed the gears, putting them back in his pack, the maroon, yellow, purple-grey and stone coloured creations vanishing from sight.

Rai chirped a complaint. "RaiAi AiChu RaiChu Rai." (I'm never_, ever_ visiting the power station again.)

Next to him, Va let out a light snort, "Reon." She chided (Grumpy)

Rai flicked his tail at the Flareon, chirping softly, as Chu pawed softly at his waving tail. "ChuRaiAi RaiChu ChuKaa KaChu Ai..!" (You would be too if you got electrocuted by a Zapdos!)

"Dibs on the dragon..!" Lance fished up the navy gear, examining it and seemingly pleased, kept hold of it. "Which other ones..?"

Ash pushed a clear, translucent gear, a steely metallic looking one, and the one Erika recognised as the ghost type gear from Lavender tower. "Here." He motioned to them, "Flying, Steel and Ghost. From Mount Silver, Mount Coronet and Lavender respectively."

"When were you on Mount Silver?" Lance queried, picking up his gears.

Ash shrugged, grabbing the pink rose stone and holding it out to Misty, along with the fiery red one. "You already have the water and ice?" he asked, as she took them.

She nodded. "Cerulean Cape and Seafoam Islands…"

Ash nodded, "That leaves Erika the poison one we nicked from Saffron, the bug from Viridian, and grass from Vermillion Harbour and the ground from vermillion cave."

The gym leader preferred these choices to the previous set.

From where she was sitting, Va tilted her head to one side, form shimmering into an Umbreon. "ReonBre UmUmbreBreBreon." (We're still missing the dark gear.)

"That leaves the dark." Ash hopped up, translating the dark fox's words, "I'd count that as pretty good work personally."

"We have_ all_ except one," Misty sighed. "One, final gear… How are we meant to know where it is?"

"It's at Indigo." Ash told her, waving off her worries dismissively.

"How do _you_ know?" she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, glancing at Erika and _oh dear_, she _so_ heard the grass type user's slip up. Erika shifted uncomfortably, as Misty's gaze slid back to Ash.

The hooded man titled his head to one side. "Because I discovered their locations..." He told her slowly, patronisingly. Why couldn't she trust him on this? Then again, she didn't know who he was…

The Cerulean gym leader scoffed. "Don't lie. Ash did, not you. You're from – where? _– Sinnoh?_ You have that northern drawl that makes you sound like you think you're better than everybody else."

"Darling, I am better than everybody else," Ash smirked, brushing of the dirt from his gloved hands. "I just don't want to make you feel inferior so I don't point it out to you."

"Shame your big head's just been burst with a pin; crash back to earth, because you _didn't_ discover any of this."

"I just told you," Ash repeated, frustrated, "I located all the gears. It was my project. Research the legends and locate the gears of time…and I set some friends to help me… did you think I just got lucky in finding the time gears I did?" he paused, something clicking in his head slowly. Misty had just said Ash found them, and he had just disagreed. Thinking of himself in third person was bad, but even worse when Misty still considered them separate persons and he had just blurred the line. "Wait – who did you say found them?"

But it was too late – the damage was done and Misty was staring at him with wide eyes. "Drop your accent."

"What? How can I just, 'drop my accent'?" he blustered, trying to twist the conversation. This was not how it was meant to go dammit!

"You had that stupid accent when you came back from Sinnoh – why didn't I recognise it – and it was your project – of course you know where they are – the Raichu, the Eevee evolutions…" Misty was killing herself. She could be completely wrong, seeing Ash is this _Shadow_ of all peoples but there were too many coincidences. Not to mention Erika kept calling him '_Ash'_. Now he had practically admitted it… could it really be him? She glared at him, anger bubbling through her. She no longer knew what to think.

The aura guardian took a step back at those turquoise blue eyes narrowed at him. "Are you feeling okay Cerulean?" slipping into the mocking use of naming gym leaders by their city. He glanced to Lance, eyes pleading help. "Is she _always_, like this?" he asked.

There was a crack, as Misty's fist collided with Ash's face, sending him reeling backwards, and his hood, dislodged, slid off. The dark haired man rubbed his jaw, remaining half turned towards Misty, not glancing back to meet her gaze. Erika had let out a surprised squeak at Misty's punch, and now her face had crumpled into a mixture between laughter and relief. Mewtwo watched amused from the side-lines.

"I think I deserved that." The guardian told Lance, glancing sideways.

"You always do you prat." Lance shook his head, glancing at Misty who, despite putting the puzzle together, didn't seem to believe it.

"_Ash?_ Ash Ketchum?" She was staring at his face, the eyes shifting in colour, just as she remembered and the messy black hair.

"That's my name Mist. Don't wear it out." Was his glib response, but sensibly he remained out of punching or mallet distance.

"But you _died_!" she cried, turquoise eyes damp, "You died up at Indigo and your body fell off a cliff. You're not… you can't be him." She shook her head in denial, trying to ignore the chirping Raichu and black eared Eevee (it was the same dammit, why hadn't she seen? It even had the same _nickname…_ of _course_ Va was short for Eva…). "Who are you?"

"Misty." Lance began, taking pity on his friend, whose shoulders were stiff, still refusing to look at Misty. "Misty _it is_ Ash. Just… hear us out." He added. "Please."

"You _knew_?" Misty cried, whirling on him, "You knew… you all knew and you didn't tell me? What sort of twisted plot is this Lance? You let me think he was _dead_!"

"I _am_ dead!" Ash spun around, eyes blazing gold, "I _died_ Misty! I'm dead, _gone!_ Don't blame Lance and Erika, they only found out recently. I specifically didn't want this happening!"

"Didn't want what happening _Ash?"_ Misty snarled, anger flaring in response.

"_This!_" Ash gestured. "You shouldn't have found out like this. Hell, you shouldn't even be here!" he glared at Lance who refused to look guilty. "You were meant to be safe at Cerulean, not running around chased by morphs and monsters!"

"I don't need protecting!" Misty snapped. "Least of all from you… If anyone it's_ you_ who needs protecting, lest you go off and get yourself _killed_ again…" her voice choked off, tears beginning to run.

Ash laughed bitterly. "Yeah, I got myself killed. Then two years later I get resurrected by the gods and set to 'save the world' again." His voice was laced with poison. "You don't think I wouldn't have returned if I could?" he asked, "You don't think I _didn't_ want to spend every moment with you after _all that time_?"

"Then why hide!?" Misty exclaimed. "Why hide and run away with that hood and stupid accent you robbed off Riley?"

"You don't _understand_!"

"No, because you _never _explain..! It's all the same, _you_ running away from _questions_ leaving nothing but _more_ questions!"

"I didn't want to leave you again!" Ash burst out, eyes flaring silver and fading back to their normal brown. His exclamation seemed to stem Misty's anger as she fell silent, watching him.

Erika and Lance observed, feeling like intruders in their own little world. Rai had retreated to sit with Latias, and the rest of the Pokémon were sitting on the side-lines, watching with various degrees of amusement and pity.

Misty was silent, staring at him, the familiar features, the shifting colour of the eyes. "Ash?" she asked, still not daring to believe.

He met her gaze, trembling slightly. "Misty."

"Prove it."

"_How..?"_

Turquoise eyes studied him, so full of pain and he wondered what had happened to his brave, strong, quick tempered red head?

Then he realised. He had happened. He had died and left Misty alone in this cold, dark world. And she had fallen, lost and alone, fierce fire diminish and cold.

He couldn't blame her.

"You'd know." She insisted, eyes full of hope, even as her lip trembled. "If you really are Ash, then you'd know." The rush of anger had gone, but he knew it would return, after the emotion of relief had washed through her.

"I owe you a bike."

She continued to stare at him.

"I gave you a Feebas, who evolved into a beautiful Milotic."

It was beginning to dawn, but she didn't seem to want to believe it.

"After I lost my memory, you told me how we met and travelled around Kanto. I told you about Gary, Leaf and I – our childhood nicknames."

Ash paused, swallowing, and purposefully didn't glance towards Lance.

"I was helping with SECTION and you and Lance got drunk and slept together after Lily and Violet, your sisters were killed. I agreed to play spy for Giovanni. He threatened you, bombed Pallet, killing my mother. The deal was for me to spy provided that you, Lance, May, Brock, Max, Riley and Dawn were left alone. He didn't keep to the deal and I was shot. I lost my memory."

"_Ash..?"_

He nodded, slowly, eyes brown, and staring into her, the wide, ocean blue with hints of green. Seconds later he found himself with an arm full of Misty, and despite all the hiding, his wish (noble and chivalrous, Lance had grumbled) to keep Misty safe and happy, fell apart at her just being there… was it really possible to miss someone so much that you only ever felt half there?

Erika sidled over to Latias and Lance. She crooned at the pair, aweing softly, "Aren't they cute together?"

The eon dragoness nodded her agreement, gold eyes playful. Lance just shot the two girls an odd look.

"You're an idiot," Misty said, between hysterical breaths, head buried into his shoulder, "And when I finish hugging you, I'm going to borrow Lance's sword, set it on fire, kill you with it, and then bring you back to life because you still owe me a bike you moron."

"Why's it always about the bike?" Ash sighed into her hair, pulling her closer, prepared to lose his self in the moment, and deal with any later thoughts Misty may harbour about killing him or severely injuring him later.

* * *

><p><strong>[01:27AM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – North Of Victory Road - Somewhere**

Misty refused to let go. If she let go, he might vanish again, or die and she didn't think she could bear having her heart broken twice.

"Misty."

"What?" she mumbled into his shoulder.

"_Misty,_ let go. I need… I have to tell you something."

Over her shoulder Lance was emphatically shaking his head, and even Erika looked like he agreed with her. Ash gazed at the pair for a heartbeat, before looking down at the red head in his arms. He had to tell her, she'd kill him otherwise… but he'd already by dead, and time would be safe. He knew what her response would be (well then time can stay stopped, as long as you're still here!) and he couldn't put her through it.

"About what..?"

And he decided, if he couldn't tell her the truth about the future, he could at least tell her the truth about the past.

"About the labs..."

Lance stopped and stared, and Erika flinched, and Misty stiffened in his arms.

Ash sighed.

Now was as good a time as any.

* * *

><p><strong>[01:29AM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – North Of Victory Road - Somewhere**

The group was curled up, about a mile away from the still unconscious rockets. Va had started a fire, and then huddled down next to Rai. Sensing the older mouse was depressed, Pichu had been pulling faces at him, to cheer her older adopted brother up, and the mouse had reluctantly perked up slightly.

Latias had been talking to Erika's Chikorita, and Luca and Mewtwo seemed to have made a pact to be grouchy and silent together. Lance kept shooting Ash odd looks, his Dragonite had flown off again to take a note back to the Viridian and Pewter crew, while Golduck just waddled along behind them, trying to keep up.

Now they sat by the fire, and Ash was staring at the flames, trying to work out where to start, and how to tell them the truth. Misty was curled into his side, unwilling to let go, and she had to keep glancing at him to remind herself he was real. During the short journey to get there he had explained his task by Arceus, and why he was alive again, and why he couldn't see her, and she had accepted it. She had been willing to accept just about anything. They had, however, skirted clear of the topic of the immediate future and its consequences.

It would just make it harder when the time came.

"Do you remember…?" Ash started, "When you broke into the lab?"

Misty nodded in affirmative. "There was a dead scientist in that main room. Apparently Adrianna, Archer and Petrel were all panicked…" she paused, as Lance interrupted.

"They were?" he asked, surprised. "I… wasn't there, remember?" he spoke to Ash. "At Cinnabar, I stayed behind at Viridian. But that's not my point, in Saffron you met those three elites and the moment they realised you were alive they agreed to leave, just like that. Why?"

Ash shrugged, "I think I scared them a bit." He admitted. "Proton was the exception, then again, and he wasn't actually around in Saffron."

Erika shuddered, "Don't talk about that monster." She spat, "If he had his way he'd have cut me up and made me into a freaky Pokémon morph like those hell hounds!"

It took a moment before her words sunk in, and then heads swivelled back to Ash who was staring resolutely at the flames. "Not quite that bad." He shrugged. "At least I still look human – huh?"

"But your eyes change colour." Misty pointed out. "And you can teleport … how long have you been able to do _that_?" she breathed.

Lance's eyes widened. "You told me back in Saffron that you could do it since the labs, you just didn't tell anyone. But what Pokémon…" He paused, in realisation. "Mew... There were files on Mew all over the place."

* * *

><p><strong>[08:35AM] – 7<strong>**th**** November 2006 – Kanto – Cinnabar Island – Cinnabar Laboratory**

_The man woke up._

_His blue eyes flickered at the harsh white lights. His breathing was ragged, wheezing against the chemical tainted air. His limbs felt like lead, weighed down by something… heavy and cold. He swallowed; his throat dry and parched, his lips cracked and broken. He tried to find strength to move but he felt like all the fight had done out of him. It was like someone had punched him in the chest with a thunder punch, knocking all the fight out of him and paralyzing his muscles at the same time._

_There was movement somewhere in his peripheral vision. His eyes rolled as he tried to see the person or thing around him. His head refused to turn. _

_He tried to talk, his throat grating and sore and his voice was cracked, barely recognisable. A small cough rose in his throat. _

_Then the pain hit him._

_His sapphire blue eyes flashed closed, wincing at the flood of feeling through his nerves. It felt like his body was on fire, burning and freezing at the same time. His whole body screamed._

_Something was missing from this world of confusion and pain. The raven haired man opened his eyes, blinking in the harsh white light. His muscles screamed in agony and he let out a rasping breath. Something was missing. Someone, or something…he couldn't remember what._

_Then it struck him, like someone hitting him over the head with a mallet._

_He couldn't remember. _

_Vainly he searched his burning fragmented mind for the images, the pictures of his past. _

_There was nothing there._

_He searched deeper, delving past mindless thoughts, stupid knowledge and unrecognisable fragmented shadows. Curios, souvenirs and irrelevant images flashed to the surface, but nothing of any significance. He closed his eyes and opened them again. _

_Who was he?_

_Through the haze of pain, he tried to search for imaged of his past, and somewhere between there and here, he slid back in merciful unconsciousness._

* * *

><p><strong>[09:47AM] – 7<strong>**th**** November 2006 – Kanto – Cinnabar Island – Cinnabar Laboratory**

_When he next awoke from the darkness, it was to muted voices drifting through the walls. The pain was still there, but muted, as if he was used to it, and after a cautious twitch of his fingers, he realised he could move, albeit slowly._

_The fire in his blood had subsided and overcome by a sudden panic the man sat up. The world spun and he clenched his eyes closed, drawing his knees to his chest. He tried to control his breathing, calming the feeling of nausea and of utter confusion that reigned. Slowly, like a rocking boat the waves of pain and sickness began to subside. He cracked open one bright, pale blue eye._

_The man wasn't in the same room as before. The lights here were yellow and soft, gentle to his sore gaze. He was sitting on a soft mattress, with a single blanket that must have just been casually tossed over his sleeping figure. A single chair sat in the room, and soft light pooled in through the window. The man stared with only mild curiosity at the bars that crisscrossed the gentle sunlight._

_He was wearing… well… not much in that department, but there were clothes scattered on the chair. He picked them up, running a hand over the fabric. They were clean, but somebody had failed to wash out the bloodstains out of the blue jacket, and there was a rip in the black t-shirt. He disregarded that, grabbing the clothes which he recognised as his own._

_There was a horrible sense of irony to that. He knew they belonged to him, but he didn't know his own name._

_Awkwardly limping to the door, he let his full weight rest on the frame, muscles beginning to seize up again. He tried the handle, silently snarling when it did nothing._

_He was locked in._

_He was a prisoner._

_Well if he had it his way, he was going to get out sooner rather than later._

_As if responding to his mood, the door handle glowed blue briefly, the lock clicking open. The man grinned to himself, and tried to slide through silently._

_It worked all right for the first three steps, and then he tripped on something and found himself sprawling on the floor, unable to get up again. There were voices echoing around him_

"_I thought I told you to lock the door."_

"_I did! It's not my fault he's a bloody aura guardian."_

_An aura guardian; the man tucked that thought away for future reference. He was an aura guardian. The term came with images of rocks and blue spheres, energy, flowing through him like living fire, but not burning, muted and soothing like an ocean. Beyond that though, he had no clue._

"_He's a what?" Someone else obviously wasn't entirely sure of what it was either. "Why didn't you tell me? I have Lucario cells I could have used!" The voice complained, as the supposed aura guardian sat up, leaning on a filing cabinet and realising that even if he managed to climb to his feet and get out now, these people would get in the way._

_He wasn't strong enough for that. Yet._

"_Where am I?" he asked instead, glancing up and around the room. It was a series of science desks, with Bunsen burner taps and large lockers and shelves dotted around it occasionally. At the far end there was a large metal table, with cuffs to keep somebody chained down._

_His blood ran cold._

_A person appeared in his sights, wearing a white suit, with a red R on one pocket. The man blinked. That had to mean something. The person tilted his head, examining him, his hair a bright blue, one hand stroking his chin thoughtfully, but not speaking._

_A woman marched up to him, a white dress similar to the suit making the raven haired man think it was a sort of uniform. Her red hair was shoulder length, cascading down around her shoulders. It was pretty, but something inside him told it was the wrong colour, too deep, too red and not enough orange. The raven haired man narrowed his eyes at the two of them._

_The woman cast a sharp glance at her partner then smiled all too charmingly at the hurt man. "You're safe. We're in a lab somewhere."_

"_Safe?" he laughed, "Is that why I was locked in?" he glanced up at the red R, wondering what it meant. R. Must stand for something. Although why he pictured a talking cat and two more strangely dressed people reciting a poem was beyond him._

"_Cinnabar." He gasped out, not knowing why. "Cinnabar Island, Kanto South."_

_He at least knew what region he was in, thank Arceus. (Arceus? Wasn't that the big… thing… for lack of a better word, which tried to kill them? He wasn't sure who 'them' was, but then he wasn't sure of a lot of things.)_

_The two of them flinched, "How did you know?" the teal haired man asked, trying to be nice. _

"_No idea." He laughed. "I can't remember. Did you do that too?" he latched on to any images he could to try and taunt them. "What do you do here anyway, other than lock people up? Cloning? People? Pokémon? Mewtwo?"_

_The last name he could actually recall quite clearly, what with that business with a storm and clones, and some sort of big battle. It was the clearest thing actually, that he remembered, yet he had a horrible feeling that before he came here, he had no memory of that incident. The rushing images made his head ache, and he closed his eyes._

"_What did he say?" The whiny voice hissed. "What does that mean…that name…Mew…two…" he seemed puzzled._

_The raven haired man opened his eyes, looking slowly towards where an elderly man, frizzled hair and wide, grey eyes was stooped over; glasses perched on the end of his nose._

_Another man with purple hair and a crooked back sneered, "Probably another failed experiment that your senile old mind has forgotten."_

"_Shut up Petrel!" another man snapped his hair turquoise and a black cap resting on his head. He stalked forwards and glanced at the raven haired man who had started shivering slightly, glaring defiantly around at the five people._

"_You can relax," the teal man said. "We're friends."_

_The raven –haired man curled his lip. He wanted to laugh. "No you're not." He disagreed. "If you were I wouldn't be locked up, and you'd have answered my questions. I also wouldn't get this horrible feeling that you're going to steal my Pikachu." He paused, musing over his own words. "I have a Pikachu." He repeated, blinking._

_The four with an 'R' on their clothing glanced at each other. Teal hair shook his head, "No you don't."_

_The man blinked calmly at him. "Don't patronise me. I have a Pikachu. Give him back."_

_They looked at him. He glared back. Purple-hair turned and shuffled away, not seeing the annoyed looks that his companions gave him. The red-haired woman rocked back on her heels, crossing her arms, "His attitude hasn't improved," she commented tartly. Her golden ear rings jangled._

"_What can you recall?" the teal haired man asked, curiously._

_The aura guardian glanced up at the considering. "Well I don't know who you are." He admitted. "Although I think the scientist idiot is called Fuji. The one who lost his daughter."_

_The scientist blinked, "I don't have a daughter," he commented, dryly._

_The man on the floor smirked, "Oh he made you forget that too did he?" he asked, but provided no further information. He glanced up at the 'R' wearing people. "You're Rocket Executives." He noted._

"_My name is Archer." The teal haired man introduced himself. "This is Proton." He gestured towards the turquoise haired man, "And Arianna." He motioned to the woman. "The other moron is Petrel."_

"_Hey!" Petrel complained re-entering the room. He dropped a blanket on the floor, kicking it forwards, and there was a pained cry from within. "Damn rat." The purple haired man skulked over to Archer. "Nearly shocked me before I could get the insulation blanket over him."_

"_KaChu," (Moron!) the mouse shook of the blanket, insulting the man with a beady glare. The raven haired man blinked. _

"_Rai"_

_The mouse turned around. Its fur was yellow and its ears spiky. The ear tips were tipped black, and the tail was notched through the middle with a large scar. Brown stripes rested on the mouse's back and two red cheek pouches sparked weakly with electricity. The base of his lightning shaped tail was also brown._

_It was a Pikachu, but the blue-eyed man ignored this for a more important fact._

_It was his Pikachu._

_Although why he had nicknamed it after its evolution he wasn't sure._

"_PikaPi?" the mouse asked. (Brother?) It blinked and shook its head, as if there was a fly buzzing around it, "KaPichPikachu," (I can't remember anything) it announced sadly._

_The man sighed. "I can't remember anything either." He glanced sharply at the men around him. "That was you too – wasn't it? Wiping my memory?" When there was no reply he threw out more questions, "Who am I? What is my name?"_

"_Well your mind wiping worked slightly," Proton remarked to Fuji, eyes gleaming._

_Adrianna winced. "Slightly. He remembers enough not to trust us."_

"_Trust you." The man laughed bitterly, "Yeah, I'm going to trust someone who locks me up and experiments on me and my Pokémon, stuffing Rai in a cage and forgetting to feed him._

_The scientist blinked, peering through his round spectacles, "You can understand him? Wonderful," he began to make notes._

_Blue-eyes flickered distastefully over him, "I could always understand him," he commented and the scientist dropped his pencil in surprise._

_Archer interrupted before the elderly man could begin to ask questions, "What did you actually do to him?" he asked, referring to the half dead looking aura guardian, but asking the scientist._

"_I'd like to know too," the man remarked dryly, and with dignity for his current position, propped up against a filing cabinet._

_The scientist pushed his glasses up his nose from where they were sliding off. He cleared his throat. "Well, we discovered some old fragments our Team had retrieved of Mew, preserved in rock. They were found on one of our abandoned labs on an island, called New Island..."_

"_Isn't that the place that was mysteriously destroyed?" Petrol interrupted._

"_I barely escaped with my life." Fuji assured them. "Traces of DNA were achieved from the eyebrows of this legendary Pokémon and have sat in our system for who knows how long…" the scientist blinked, the confused look coming over his face again before he continued, "Well, we wanted to see if we could create a human poke morph. You were nearly dead when these four brought you to me. Two bullets lodged in your chest…" he whistled in amazement._

"_You refused to die. Well, we expected you to anyway, and introduced these cells into your body. No idea what effect they will have," Dr Fuji sounded all too cheerful about this._

_The man narrowed his eyes, his gaze dropping and looking in his reflection in a steel cabinet across from him; blue eyes and black spiky hair. He frowned, running his hand along his hair, eyes narrowed. The blue seemed wrong, unnatural, but almost as soon as he thought it, the blue shimmered into a brown hazel colour, colour shifting._

"_Well what now?" the Executive repeated his question. "We have this man with no memories, who can do who knows what. Is he recovered?"_

"_I'm not going to work for you if that was what you intended." He remarked dryly, still leaning heavily on the filing cabinet, one hand supporting him on the ground. "You rockets can burn in hell for all I care." He winced, his muscles till felt like lead. The Pikachu had crawled over to him, chirping softly._

_Dr Fuji shrugged, "You'll come around to our views in time," He blinked._

_The aura guardian raised an eyebrow in doubt. "Really? I'll work for someone who forces Pokémon to evolve against their will and splices people's genomes with legendary DNA?"_

"_We didn't actually get your Pikachu to evolve." Fuji protested, "The thunderstone broke and reformed into what we call a light ball. I've never seen one made before and it was remarkable."_

_He said this as the Pikachu showed a golden sphere materialising on his tail. The inside swirled with electricity. _

"_A Light Ball," the blue eyed man murmured. Then his gaze flickered up to the scientist, "Can I see the Eevee too?"_

_The elderly man nearly fell over in shock. "What Eevee?" he blustered. "Didn't know you had an Eevee?"_

_He blinked calmly, "I do now," he spoke softly. "I'd like to see her now, before you chop her up to feed to any more of your monsters."_

_Archer flinched at this, blank face flickering with emotion before blanking again. "Just give him the damn Eevee. It's one thing less for us to worry about," he snapped, and Petrol scuttled away again to do his bidding._

_He returned shortly, bringing a metal cage with a small brown fox perched inside, snarling and trying to bite his fingers. It succeeded and the purple haired man dropped the cage with a squeal. It clanged on the floor, and the fox struggled upright as it rolled sideways._

_The fox was brown, but it had major faults, marking it out as different from others of its species. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice whisper 'clone' but the thought was quickly gone. Its tail was black tipped, as were the tips of its ears. Paler fur, like the colour of its fur collar ringed its ears, separating the black and the brown, and its paw tips were the same colour. Its dark eyes stared angrily around at the grunts, a vicious snarl ripping through its teeth. _

"_Hey there," Red sat up, wincing and with one hand he opened the cage. The small fox's eyes widened._

_The people expected it to lunge for his fingers as they worked the clasp. But it crouched there, "VuiEve?" (What are you doing?)_

"_Helping."_

_The cage door swung open. The fox blinked. Then it leapt over to where Pikachu was sat. Its ears were pressed back against its head and its eyes were wide but it squeaked something at the raven haired man. "Evee Eee Vui," It nodded its head in respect towards the raven haired man. (You're different from the rest.)_

_He smiled gently at it. She trusted him._

_Archer stepped forwards, observing how the small brown fox snarled slightly as he passed. He reached out a hand to help the man to stand. "You need to get up on your feet. Otherwise you're not much use for anything."_

_The guardian accepted the hand but his eyes narrowed. He winced as he stood and stood there for a few seconds before staggering sideways. Archer moved forwards to help._

"_Dammit."_

_Archer blinked. The man was no longer in front of him. Instead he was now standing across the other side of the room having just knocked over a pile of papers to lean on. His hands clutched at the desk and his head span dizzyingly. He was swearing. His blue eyes glared angrily at Dr Fuji._

"_What the hell did you do to me?"_

* * *

><p><strong>[01:44AM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – North Of Victory Road - Somewhere**

"_How ironic..." _Mewtwo was the first to speak,_ "That the only human I ever trusted is no longer that, but more like a brother than a friend."_

"I'm glad you find it do amusing." Ash sighed.

"I don't care." Misty said, determinedly. "You're you, and even after the incident, apart from the memory issue nothing had changed. I don't care."

"Thank you."

Lance was staring at the Glaceon, curled by the fire. "Va is a clone?"

The fox flinched, shifting back into her normal, defected brown self. "VuiEve Ev Vui!" (I'm my own self!)

Ash merely shrugged. "Va is Va. Or Eva, as she is actually named, but Zo misheard it and then we all got into the habit." He smiled at his four Pokémon team. "She's an Eevee and my friend, nothing more, nothing less." He glanced at Mewtwo, "Even clones are their own being, and not just a copy. Everyone deserves life, regardless of their birth right." The clone bowed his head gratefully at him.

Rai shot a grateful look towards his trainer, before pressing himself to Va's side.

"So how did Rai evolve?" Misty had to ask.

"His light ball reacted with a thunderstone that quite literally fell on top of him – landslide – and the combined electrical input was making him sick. What a thunderstone and other evolutionary stones do, is increase the Pokémon's aptitude for their element, such as increasing fire potential, or electricity levels, until their bodies have to change to adapt. The first time, Rai managed to harvest the stone's power without changing form, creating a light ball, but the second time, he couldn't handle it. He refused to evolve though, almost too overcharged, and so Zekrom had to siphon of some of the power, so his body could change, and then give it back to him."

"Zekrom..?" Lance blinked. "A legendary dragon..?"

"Legendary _electric_ dragon..!" Ash snapped, and for a moment the pair seemed to be silently arguing about who had rights to that legendary. Lance gave, shrugging. Ash smirked triumphantly and nodded. "And yes, although what he was going in Sinnoh I don't know." He blinked. "Although there was this weird dude with green hair skulking around, but he vanished pretty quickly and I never saw him again."

"Rai was grumpy for weeks." Zo muttered under her breath. "Shocked everything of course, including himself."

The group laughed, and it seemed to ease the tension that filled the air, easing their hearts and easing their minds.

"Can you shape shift?" Mewtwo asked curiously. "Because my sister can change her form, and I wondered if you could too…"

"Can _you_ shift?" Ash asked the clone. The psychic shook his head silently.

Erika leaned forwards. "What about psychic abilities?" she asked. "Like Sabrina… although she said you were dark typed…"

Ash glared at her slightly, and she glanced at Misty once. "Slightly." He admitted, still glaring at her. "I have these… well I suppose you'd call them visions of the future. The psychic for the most part played havoc with my aura, overpowering everything and tainting my aura with its type. Aura is usually un-typed… just pure energy. Riley used his aura to enhance normal punches into fighting typed mega punches…"

"So that's all aura is?" Lance asked, "Pure un-elemantalised power." He paused.

"That's not a word." Erika told him. "But we know what you mean."

"How do you know it's not a word?" Lance challenged her.

"It's got one of those red squiggly lines under it."

"As I was saying…" Ash continued, ignoring the interruption. "You can give aura a type. Psychics like Sabrina and those Hoenn twins are already typed, and can't 'un-type' themselves to use aura. Riley tended to favour the use of types, usually steel, fighting and normal, while I favoured electric, fighting and dark if I had to, preferring to keep it un-typed. After I died…" he paused, glancing at Misty to check she was alright with this. "Dark and ghost type effects became easier to use." He admitted. "The psychic for a brief time played up…"

"That's why everything kept exploding!" Lance realised, "And you said it was the gas!" he threatened Ash.

The raven haired guardian didn't even look guilty. "It wasn't my fault." He shrugged.

"You said aura was the basis of all attacks." Erika frowned. "Does that mean you can use Pokémon attacks?"

Ash raised an eyebrow at her. "Does it look like I can breathe fire?" he asked. "No, I can't use Pokémon attacks. But I can type some of my spheres…" he held out a hand, letting a black aura sphere settled on top of it. Blue spun within, but was lost in the darkness of it. "Dark or ghost," Ash told them. He was frowning in concentration. "I can't do the fighting as well any more…" a little bit of blue crept into it but faded almost immediately. "Psychic still works a bit…" the sphere grew purple, growing hazy around the edges. Then it shimmered and died as Ash lost hold of it. "It's not easy though." He admitted.

"_So that's why you teleport,"_ Latias concluded. _"It's the way you channel the ability to not interfere with your aura, but still releasing it, so as to prevent a build-up of harmful psionic energy."_

Lance seemed to be the only one who understood some of the terms, but then he was used to spending time around May. "Makes sense." He nodded.

"No it doesn't." Erika and Misty said, simultaneously, before meeting each other's gazes with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>[05:58AM] – 12<strong>**th**** December 2006 – Cerulean City – Nugget Bridge – Underpass**

"_No not again!" Ash sighed, as the sphere in his hand shimmered violently and exploded. He had moved out of the way, but the flare of power still made him wince._

"_**Try again. I'll contain the blast."**__ Tristan told him, watching nearby._

_Ash glanced warily at the Gallade. He remembered rescuing the Kirlia, but not when the psychic had evolved. Regardless, he obeyed his instructions, frowning at the air between his palms, watching as a blue sphere materialised into sight. Once again it was struck through with purple, but as he stared, it faded back to the original blue._

_He grinned in triumph, losing his focus as the psychic bled through, and sending it spinning out of control…_

_It phased out of existence with his dual type's eyes glowing blue, condensing the attack._

"_Sorry." He muttered, sighing. "Lost focus…"_

"_PikaChu." Rai reassured him happily. "KaPi!" (No need to worry! It's better!)_

"_Vui Ee Ee! Evee!" Eva squeaked happily. (It's really impressive. Better than my shadow ball!)The cloned brown fox twitched her black tipped ear. "Eevee…?" (Are you okay?)_

"_Fine," Ash winced slightly. "It's just a headache. All these images floating around…" he shook his head, as if to rid himself of them. "Lance is still avoiding me."_

"_Pikachu." The mouse seemed depressed. "KaaPiChu." (Of course he is. He doesn't know how to act.)_

"_None of them do." Ash sighed, glancing at Tristan. "Thanks for the help." He said, slightly awkwardly to his Gallade._

_The green and white Pokémon inclined his head. __**"I try my best."**__ He communicated telepathically. __**"I hope I don't make you feel awkward…"**_

_Had he always been so formal? "Nah," Ash shrugged it off. "It's fine; at least you're not constantly bugging me with questions." He sighed, closing his eyes tiredly. "Shall we go again?"_

"_**When you are ready…"**_

* * *

><p><strong>April 2013 – This is the moment somebody tells me that Mew can't use teleport. So I it up and discover that they actually don't learn the move at all, but I'm refusing to change this. According to Bulbapedia, it could learn the TM in Gen1 (it can learn ALL TMs on that note), and it, along with Mewtwo, teleport twice in the movies it stars in. And let's face it, would you rather have a spliced DNA with a Spoink or a Mew? (okay, so Spoink don't learn teleport either. Abra? Natu?) Yeah, that's what I thought.<strong>

**I think that was the chapter everyone was waiting for. It's why Ash can teleport, that he's got a mucked a DNA with mew genes spliced over his own. It doesn't affect him, except the eye colour changing, like mew changes shapes, and the psychic ability to teleport, however because Ash doesn't accept that ability, his teleporting doesn't always work (normally when they need to get somewhere).**

**I've writing the prequel and forgot that Gallade hasn't been introduced. His nickname is Tristan. That's all you're going to get out of me though. The bold/italics are him, communicating using telepathy if that's not clear…**

**Next chapter they're up at Indigo and it's the beginning of the end! Hold on though for the ride's not over yet! Erika breaks the fourth wall again, she's getting rather good at that…**

'**It's only just beginning…' (Blatant Doctor Who, quote just there. A virtual cookie if you can tell me what episode its from.)**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**~ Eclipse**


	23. Indigo Temporality

**Chapter 23 – Indigo Temporality**

"_I think we had all lost something during this war. All our views had been turned over and we had been forced to re-examine them, whether it was our view on life and death, our link to those we love, our thoughts about good and evil or our innocence in believing everything was going to be alright, and we'd all have our happily ever after. But this isn't a fairy tale, and sometimes the good guys don't win."_ Erika

* * *

><p><strong>[10:39AM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Kanto - Indigo Plateau**

They approached the Plateau after sleeping for around eight hours, undisturbed, Latias and Mewtwo watching over them. The only time one of them stirred from their death-like slumber was when Erika woke up to stop Lance's snoring, and promptly fell back asleep again after stealing his cloak once more to use as a blanket, cuddling up with her Chikorita.

Now they stood before the final hill, leading up to their destination, at the end of their journey.

In front of them, the Pokémon League rose up before them, in all its glory.

Former glory... It looked no different from when Lance had been up there nearly a month previously, the roof crumples in, gaps in the walls where the wind whistled through. The stadiums were to the right, past the main League itself, and beyond were the elite battle fields.

They approached, almost able to imagine what it might have once looked like, the pillar to each side lit with the flame of Moltres as people crowded around, eager to see the officials and the elites celebrating the night. The door itself hung off its hinges, creaking slightly as they brushed passed, moving through the small reception with non-working lifts and ruined stairs to the side. Beyond, almost immediately, they would enter the great hall, tattered red curtains, and wall murals. The grey and black Ho Oh looked lifeless, and dull, wings outspread, mirroring the Lugia on the opposite wall, odd tiles missing and the picture incomplete.

Ash spun around, looking at the arch way, and his gaze drifting to the only preserved image, a red eon dragon, a blue eon behind her and in the background of the blue, clear sky, was a faint mew-like shape.

It wasn't Mew though, and glancing at the purple clone, he knew just what legendary it was.

Latias floated into the room, hovering beside the picture of the eon dragons, coincidentally in front of the red Latias, until it looked like she had her brother, cooing over her shoulder. Heart filling with sadness, Ash turned away, grabbing his pack, containing the precious gears, and moving over the left side of the room, dropping to the floor.

Last time Lance was here, he had paid no attention to the floor, but now he looked down. It was the various elements, spun around in endless; twisting circles which looked so, _so_ similar to the mark on his arm. The tattoo he had gotten as a child, back in Blackthorn. Impulsively, he pulled up his sleeve, looking at the twisting mark, narrowing his eyes until he could spot the curling Dragonite, a Dragonair and a Dratini.

He angled his arm, frowning as the curling circles seemed to twist, with the light. A shape was appearing, as if unveiled before his eyes, a curling arc and the shape, dark haunted and hollow eyes of a skull…

Lance blinked, the image fading, and he struggled to find it again but came up short, finding only a curling circle, bound in an endless, interlocking loop.

What can you ever see?

It wasn't clear, and it wasn't reassuring. Time was running out, and if he was going to do something he had to do it fast. If… when he did something, it would have to make a difference.

Lance knew what he had to do. He knew what had to happen.

He didn't want to face it, and instead began examining the interlocking circles on the floor, the seventeen elements, bound together. The one in the middle was the normal, surrounded by five – fire, grass, water, ice and electric. Two or three more sat outside each one of these, fire surrounded by poison and ground, ice - rock and dragon, water - ghost and psychic, electric - dark and steel, and grass with flying, fighting and bug. They wove together to create on intricate floor pattern of the seventeen elements.

"And what about the last gear?" Misty demanded, and Lance looked up. "Where is it then?"

Wordlessly, Ash gestured up to the far end of the hall. There was one word, carved at the far end, at the top of the far wall, sitting above the pictures of the champions and elites. In swirling letters it spelt out a single word.

**INDIGO**

And the in the 'o' of the sign, a familiar pattern formed, a twisting, turning, gear.

* * *

><p><strong>[10:56AM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Kanto - Indigo Plateau**

It was amusing watching Zo, trying to get to the final, dark type gear. She had shifted into a Pidgeot to fly up there, and then into a Cubone, balance precariously on a ledge with a bone club, trying to work out how to get the gear. Eventually Mewtwo and Latias took pity on the dark type, who seemed almost hysterical when she could not retrieve the gear of her own type, and the pair floated up to help her.

Lance had begun to set his into the floor pattern, and he wondered idly if the people who had built the Plateau knew what they were rebuilding. The dragon and rock gear slid into two of the outer circles, and as they did so the patterns in the floor glowed, a deep colour, matching that of the gear. There was a slight squeak from Misty, who had set the fire gear into the inner circle. Around her, the floor appeared to be molten flames, swirling and curling around each other, hungry tongues of fire.

Ash stood in the centre, placing the paint palette normal gear within. There was no big reaction for his, which simply glowed softly, and was accepted. He tossed the electric gear to Rai, Lance and Erika wincing at the careless action, but the orange mouse caught it, tail catching in the loop as he lowered it to its position on the floor, electricity dancing around it, black and yellow.

Misty crossed over to put her water and ice gears in place, similar effects appearing as the water swirled and ice crystals began to creep over the floor. Then Erika placed her grass one down, completing the circle.

Latias had stolen the psychic gear from Misty, and was hovering near Zo, who was trying to fit the dark gear in place, without switching to another form. Eventually it clicked, and the fox grinned triumphantly. Lance grabbed the ghost gear that Erika seemed to hate so, and slid it into place, a small piece of the bigger picture. In his peripheral vision he could see Ash, slowly beginning to set in the steel, Erika next to him with the ground, and Misty standing around, looking lost.

Lucario held the gear of fighting in his hand, seemingly unwilling to part with it, and Lance didn't miss the glance the red eyed jackal shot towards his trainer.

Ash and Erika stood against the right wall, admiring the pattern in the floor, and Lucario stood half way between them. Misty stood off towards the back, still lost and eyes bright, wanting to get this over with. Lance stood opposite Erika against the left wall, Latias and Zo beside him.

They were scattered across the hall, most of the gears fitted into place, only the fighting, bug, poison and flying remaining. Lucario held one, Erika held two of them, and Lance held the last one, the clear translucent flying gear.

"Well?" Misty asked her voice cracking the silence open, like a knife. "Aren't you going to finish putting them in place?"

Ash opened his mouth to answer, when the door at the far end exploded. Lance instantly ducked to the floor, head turning to the already lopsided wooden door, now smithereens as a dark suited figure strolled through the doors, calm and uncaring, a Persian trotting at his heels.

Mewtwo moved forwards, hand outstretched, but the figure made a disapproving noise. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Otherwise I signal to my grunts to blow this place sky high. And where would you be then, hmmm?"

Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, stood before them, dark suit immaculate, even as he brushed an imaginary speck of dust from it, dark eyes glinting.

Ash let out a barely contained snarl and started forwards, but Erika grabbed onto him and refused to let go. The black Lucario took a fighting stance, and Mewtwo dithered, as Latias moved forwards to his side.

"I'd like to see you try." Lance staggered to his feet. "What do you want?"

Giovanni regarded him with cold, black eyes. "You _dead_, but that's obviously not feasible at the moment, so I'll have to settle for you bowing before me, champion."

"_Ash..!"_ Lance heard Erika's strangled whisper, as she struggled to hold the angry aura guardian back. "Stop it! Stop and _think_ – really take it in before you throw yourself over there!"

"Well that's not going to happen!" Lance spat, stepping forwards, "If you're here for the gears we won't let you have them!"

"Oh I don't want the gears," Giovanni laughed, "Your pathetic little attempts to start time are amusing, but not untoward. Maybe it will be easier, to restart time, before rewriting it completely."

"You're _mad!_" Misty snapped, stepping forwards.

Giovanni's lips curled in a smirk. "Oh look, just like last time – you're all here – except the spy..."

Ash sighed over by Erika. "Just once, they'll be somebody who wants to rule the world with good intentions to treat all Pokémon equally or something. Then again, knowing our luck, they'll probably end up being manipulated and tossed aside at the last minute so the second lieutenant can rule instead."

Erika glanced at him. "Have you been playing Black and White again?"

"What?"

"You think I'm mad?" Giovanni continued, chuckling, "Is it mad, to want to undo the mistakes of human kind? Mad, to try and rebuild our world?"

"We can rebuild our world without destroying everything we've already created!" Lance cried. "What you're doing, it's called… actually I don't know what it's called, but it doesn't matter. Most of the world deems you are wrong and so we'll stop you!"

"You don't recognise me, do you?" Ash finally fought his way free of Erika, shrugging her off as he stalked forward, a lethal predator, eyes narrowed at Giovanni. The dark suited man turned, blinking at the aura guardian.

"Why? Have I already given this speech to you?" the man scoffed.

Ash laughed; a bitter, jaded laugh with a touch of madness on the edge of it. "I suppose all the people you chuck in labs you just forget about then? All the spies you double cross, but let back in and then double cross again and kill? There must be so many you forget about them all. Forget about and _let rot_."

Giovanni's eyes widened, as he stared at Ash. _"You."_ he breathed, for the first time, losing his composure.

"Yes. _Me._ Did you miss me?" Ash seemed to enjoy taunting him, stepping forward towards the two legendries.

_"But you're dead!"_

"I get that a lot." Ash drawled, taking a step forwards. "And maybe I am. But if I'm not dead then you certainly soon will be." His voice dropped into a cruel, cold promise.

Giovanni stepped back. "My grunts killed you; on the cliff side."

Ash stalked forwards another step, gaze hard, a blank, grey colour, "Then I guess they didn't do as good a job as you thought they did."

The rocket leader shivered. "I had you killed - and now you're haunting me." He stepped backwards again.

"But I'm not a ghost," the elite taunted.

Giovanni hissed. "You'll die like one." And he motioned to something behind him – in the mist and smoke rising up from the door, the rocket grunts that had spilled in behind him, shifted, uneasily. Then, in the darkness, a flash of red and yellow and blue, the beat of wings, the clack of claws…

The beast was the first visible, pacing obediently to its masters side, gaze dull and unseeing. Erika took a step back, gasping quietly, and even Ash edged away, eyes wide, as the four humans and their Pokémon tried to put as much distance as possible between themselves and that… that thing.

"What did they _do_ to _you_?" Lance breathed eyes sad, as he stared at the dull puppet. Misty was staring in shock, while Ash had curled his lip in disgust.

"Do you like it?" Giovanni reached out, stroking the grey mane, "I call it the Entity. And so obedient, much more so than the hell hounds we set on you in the caverns, or those failures you discovered at Lavender."

"Shut up!" Erika screamed, "You're a _monster_ – they were Pokémon once!"

"As was this," Giovanni motion to the creature. "This was once three legendary dogs of Johto, but now they answer to me."

The sabre toothed beast yawned, lazily, revealing curling fangs. The lion snarled, while the remaining dog tilted its head to one side, examining the room with a dull gaze. The three dogs of Johto indeed stood before them, but not as three separate entities, but merged together as one.

The animal stood, a metre high, with wide shoulders, supporting the three heads. The yellow furred, electric typed Raikou with the sabre fangs was flanked by the Suicune on the left, and the Entei on the right, fur rippling and merging together, blue, yellow and brown, the back covered in a grey, purple mane, like smoke rippling over its back. Instead of standing on four legs, the beast stood on six, two at the front supporting the shoulders, one striped yellow and black, the other a sky blue. Two supported the middle body, brown and blue, while the final pair rested yellow and brown under the three tails, which whipped from side to side lazily. The Entity resembled a Cerberus, a cruel mix of the three Johto beasts, it's will bent into servitude.

"Do you like him?" Giovanni crooned, "All the power of the dogs in one obedient pup. Few of our experiments worked, the hell hounds and Entity being two of them. Allow me to introduce you to a third."

The roof of the great hall was elaborate decoration, while rose to meet a centrepiece of a glass skylight, stained glass that lay directly over the central circle of gears. Erika lunged forwards, pulling Ash away as the glass above them shattered, and she dragged him back, as the sky seemed to shatter in on them. Ash didn't flinch, one hand extended, a light shield bubbling up and protecting them.

"Tia!" Latias cried, barrelling into Lance, eyes glowing blue as the shards stopped falling mid-air.

From the hole in the ceiling, a dark shadow descended, one wing crackling with electricity and the other, cold, frozen crystals. Once again, the creature was three headed with the middle being the flaming Moltres, the left the freezer bird and the final the lightning god.

From where she was cowering next to Ash, Zo gasped. "No way, we saw Zapdos just a few days ago. How could they manage something so quickly?"

"There is more than one electric chicken, brat!" Giovanni snapped at Erika, not spotting the small purple fox, and thinking Erika had spoken, directing the words towards her and Ash.

The bird screeched, and the Moltres head shot of a torrent of flames towards the eon dragoness, whose head snapped around, psychic attack redirected to the fire, and her hold the glass dropped, the molten sand dropping to the floor like falling chimes. Mewtwo remained where he stood in the centre of the room, staring with hatred at Giovanni.

"_You dare to create more, immoral beings, and use them as mindless weapons?"_

Giovanni frowned at the purple Pokémon. "And who are you?" the trio fusion of bird hovering just above his head.

"_I am Mewtwo, cloned from the DNA of Mew, and I am your death."_

Ash scoffed, "Not if I get there first."

Giovanni looked unperturbed, standing beside his personal guard dog, rockets at his back, a ragtag team of rebels in front of him. "Kill the-"

"You killed Blaine!" Misty interrupted his order, eyes desperate. "That Moltres – it used to roost at Cinnabar and Mount Silver. The Cinnabar Gym was destroyed and Blaine dead and a Golem and Arcanine locked in battle, _also _dead. The field was wrecked by earthquakes… you….you're a _ground_ type user! You _killed_ Blaine, because _he was in your way!"_

"He sought to protect the bird," Giovanni sneered, "A minor loss."

"What about the Zapdos?" Erika asked her bow strung and ready in her hand, although she did not raise it.

"They stole the mate," Ash breathed in realisation, "The Zapdos at the Power Station was mad, but not because of the Power Station being vandalised, but because the rockets stole away its mate."

"This is getting tiring." Giovanni drawled. "Kill-"

"How can you control it?" Lance stared, "The hell hounds were uncontrollable - savage and wild, but this - its listens to you…"

"Team Rocket runs Silph Company. One of our creations was a gym badge energy amplifier. See?" and he revealed what looked like a small shield, with eight small slots within it. "It uses the Kanto gym badges, made out of the same sort of material as your precious gears."

"Pure element," Lance breathed. "And if you amplify that power by coordinating the radius and position, it acts as a remote radio signal transmitting to a receptor device."

Ash turned to shoot him a bemused look.

"May talks a lot while she works." Lance shrugged.

"But badges are common," Misty blustered, "They get given out all the time."

"Metallic replicas," Giovanni spat, "The real ones reside in the gym. Ever wondered why gyms specialise in an element? The badge is made out of pure element, in solid form, which resonates with that type of Pokémon. It boosts stats and makes the gym challenges more interesting. It was surprisingly easy to collect all the badges," Giovanni taunted, "The Pewter gym was abandoned, Celadon, Fuchsia, Viridian and Cinnabar within our grasps… the only ones which posed problems were the Vermillion, Saffron and Cerulean. It was only recently we found the Saffron gym, Sabrina, the double crossing traitor, had been hiding in it, using psychic energy to mask its location. Vermillion was difficult, but not impossible. Cerulean was easy, we raided _years_ ago, killing two Cerulean gym leaders for the badge. They had received it from their mother, passed on through the family…"

"No!" Misty gasped, "They were my sisters!"

"Was it? How horrible…"

"You killed them!"

"Why yes, I did. And now I'm going to kill you. Kill the-"

"_You will not."_ Mewtwo raised a hand. _"You will not touch them!"_

Giovanni sneered, "I'd like to see you try. _Get them."_

And the Cerberus and fusion bird struck.

Ash pushed Erika to the side, Zo and Rai ducking out of the way as the demon bird dived towards them. Across the other side of the hall, Lance was pulling Misty behind him as the Entity bounded forwards, all three heads snarling, Latias and Va moving to meet it.

And the two sides clashed.

* * *

><p><strong>April 2013 - This is horribly short, but I was in a rush to get it out, and so haven't gone through with a final edit. I've discovered Supernatural, and have been spending my evenings watching through the episodes, while watching my life fly by out the window. Yeah... should probably do someting about that...<strong>

**So here we are, the final battle and all that. I'll try to find some time to work through this again and maybe expand it a bit, although personally I can't see me changing much. I'd be interested to here any ideas though.**

**Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows! It means a lot, and I'll try to stick to this Thursday evening (for me) posting session that I've got going here.**

**Over and out ~ Eclipse**


	24. Morph

**Chapter 24 – Morph**

"_Sometimes, like a rabid dog, death is the easiest route to follow. Sometimes things need to die, in order for peace to reign. Sometimes, there is no cure. Death is easier than life." _May

* * *

><p><strong>[11:34AM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Indigo Plateau – Temporal Tower**

As the bird with three heads rushed towards them, Erika remembered feeling the horrible sense of déjà vu. Then she was on the hard, cold ground. Ash had pushed her to the side, a blue shining blade of aura forming in his right hand, his left spread out for balance, as with a flick of his wrist, he sent in flying towards the approaching bird.

It hit true, ripping through tendons and muscle, but the monster didn't seem to notice, the central mouth open, flames curling within…

And an aura sphere hit it dead on, Lucario standing in the way, bone staff in hand…

"Rai! Use iron tail!" Ash cried, "Zo, do something useful."

The orange mouse leapt into battle, all too used to obeying orders. Zo muttered something like 'do something useful – how clear and helpful' before spitting out a dark pulse at the bird, which had pulled up, trying to fend off the three attackers.

Ash turned to Erika. "Can you handle the bird? I'm going after Giovanni."

The black haired girl grabbed his arm as he made to either dart across the hall or teleport away. She wasn't sure which, but he paused and turned to look at her. She flinched at his gaze. His eyes were a burning, crimson red. "Look at the bird," she urged, "it's wearing a collar. That's how Giovanni is controlling it."

"It is?"

"Didn't you listen to Lance?" Erika cried desperately. "Look, just try and get that badge machine and break it. Then all we have to do it snap the collar of the Zapmolcuno and…"

"Zapmolcuno..?"

"_What_?" Ash stared at the Celadon gym leader in disbelief. "Seriously..? Can't think of something shorter?"

"If we break the collar, we free the bird." Erika interrupted his complaints, eyes lighting up. "We can still win this!"

Ash nodded. "Do it then." He instructed, "But Giovanni is mine – I'm not letting some stuck up psychic claim my kill." And then he wrenched his arm out of her grasp and was gone, reappearing the other side of the hall, staggering slightly, leaving Erika, Zo, Luca, Rai and her Chikorita with the monstrous and newly named – Zapmolcuno.

Mentally she nicknamed it the Fusion, and was done, grabbing her bow and raising it towards the bird.

The arrow thudded into the ice wing, and the bird screeched, the Articuno head twisted around towards her, ice beam streaking towards her. She rolled to the side, reloading her bow and drawing it up, letting the string twang reassuringly and sending another arrow towards the creature.

It missed, but in dodging the deadly shaft, the bird rolled right into the path of Raichu tackling it. The mouse collided with the shoulder joint, falling backwards and twisting out of the way of the flailing Fusion. The central fire head twisted around, snapping in the air at the orange Raichu, who would be a tasty meal for it.

Landing on the snapping jaws, Raichu leapt off as quickly as possible, skidding forwards until, much to his horror, he found himself on the back of the thing.

"RaiChuAi," He sighed. (Oh dear) Then he promptly used thunderbolt.

* * *

><p><strong>Lance and Misty<strong>

From the other side of the room, Lance and Misty could see the Fusion light up black with the mouse's electric attack, but they were too busy worrying about the Entity which stalked towards them. Latias looked slightly desperate, psychic attacks rolling off the beast, and Golduck was shooting out water and ice beams, but the Suicune part of the beast made them practically useless.

"Do something!" Lance snapped at Misty.

"Like what? You're the one with the gun!" she shot back at him, glancing between the stalking Cerberus and the champion.

With a swish of tails and claws, scrabbling on the marble floor, the beast's muscles clenched, as it leapt towards them. The jump carried it over two of the gear circles in one leap as Lance drew his sword, knocking it into a lantern that hung conveniently at the side of the room. Oil dripped down the blade, greasy and thick fingers reaching out. Tightening the grip on the now flammable blade, Lance pushed Misty to one side, out of the way as he stepped forwards.

The next flamethrower the Entei head shot towards him set the blade alight, blazing high and Lance rolled forwards, weapon ready.

Misty finally understood why Ash had been so pissed off at the champion, for training Ash in sword work by chasing him around the practise field with a flaming blade.

Lance glared at the three headed beast. "Come and get me!" he taunted. The head nearest to him – the Suicune – angled sideways, snapping at the champion. Lance stepped backwards as fangs raked near his ear, too close for comfort. He ducked forwards, blade flashing out to tear fur and flesh. The six legged monstrosity reared back in pain, the lurching gait taking the Raikou head nearer to Misty.

"Catch!" Lance tossed his gun towards Misty, who scrabbled. For a moment Lance thought that she'd drop it, but then her grip tightened and she corrected its position in her hands.

"A little more warning next time," she muttered, checking the safety off.

"I'm running out of ammo," Lance warned her, "But if you get a good shot in through its head it will kill the creature."

"Which head?" Misty danced backwards away from a thunder attack, her Golduck moving to psychically intercept it, leaving Latias to duel dragon pulses with the Suicune.

Lance swiped with his sword again, "Any one!"

The Entity was tiring of tarrying with its prey, and Lance could see the muscles gathered up, prepared to leap again. "Watch out!" he called, pulling Misty out of the way, as the monster lunged forwards. Latias tackled into it, form shimmering in a giga impact and sending both flying back across the room.

"Golduck! Use psychic on it! Pichu stay out of the way!" Misty caught Chu as the female mouse tried to rush forwards, putting her back in her backpack, "Stay there." She scolded, before leaping forwards to join the fray. "I've had it with these monsters!"

Lance's still flaming sword swiped at the Suicune and Raikou head, the former's jaws opened with a rapidly forming hydro pump forming within. "Oh crap." He ducked out of the way, but the water jet was not meant for him, and it instead, hit his sword, flames dying down.

The champion frowned at the damp blade, eyes widening as he stabbed it into the ground, even as the thunder arced over and was rechanneled through his arm. He gritted his teeth at the electricity, sinking to his knees.

"Get back!" Misty lashed out, a hammer appearing from nowhere as she swung at the electric and water head. The beast veered backwards, choosing instead to snap at Latias who was throwing dragon pulses from above.

"Where did that come from?" Lance blinked, dazed, pulling his still sparking sword from the ground.

"You don't need to know." Misty smirked grimly, lashing out again with the mallet. Wait – mallet? Was this the hammer Ash used to be so scared about?

Lance's nerves still weren't responding so he stared at the Entity being beset by Latias and Misty in shock for a few moments. Golduck was firing long range psychics, lacking the manoeuvrability of the other two. Across the hall Erika was ducking under the Fusion's talons, Raichu perched precariously on its back and Luca, Zo and Chikorita firing attacks from the floor.

A purple blur shot past him, jolting him awake as Espeon leapt for the Entity, small fangs bared and sinking into the thinner, blue and white Suicune neck. A howl was wrenched from the creature's throat, and it paused in its movements for a few, precious moments, allowing Latias to drop a swirling grey mist ball on it.

Lance heard the spine snap, and he winced, muscles screaming protest as he tossed his sword to his other hand, and then back, twirling it through the air, staggering to his feet. The Raikou lunged, held back by the bodies of the other two fused to it, and Lance spun the sword around, driving it downwards through the snarling maw. The gnashing jaws were stuck together, speared like a kebab, as the electric dog shuddered to a halt.

The dragon master sidestepped the burst of flames and water from the remaining heads, protesting at the loss of their third. The purple fox shimmered, morphing into a Jolteon as her fangs slid in deeper, deep crimson seeping from the blue neck and down the yellow needle fur. Sparks flickered like stars along Va's coat, as the bite, turned into a thunder fang, sinking into the pure water type.

With a roar the Entity shook itself from its stupor, angrier that before. The Suicune part reared up, and as easily as shaking a fly, Va was dislodged, fur tearing beneath her jaws. Her grip dislodged, the Entity twisted around, the large brown Entei paw batting away the morphing fox carelessly. Va was thrown across the room, her lithe form hitting a wall and crumpling to the ground.

"Va!" Misty cried, leaping forwards, hammer in front of her. The gun was still there, tucked in a pocket, safety on. The beast was spitting now, the middle electric head limp, fire and water steaming around them.

"Shoot it!" Lance cried, as a blast of steam seared into his right arm, "For Rayquaza's sake, shoot it!" he staggered backwards, sword still stabbed in the Raikou head, the other two snapping and sprawling, body lying ungainly behind them, spine broken and legs unmoving. Yet the immobile beast was still lethal, the two remaining heads still alive and shooting of elemental attacks, enraged at the loss of a third of its body.

Misty swung with the hammer, her left hand fumbling for the gun she had stuffed in her pocket, numb fingers failing to grasp it as it slid to the hard, cold marble.

And in the confusion, the Entei aimed a raging, blazing fire blast straight at her.

* * *

><p><strong>Ash<strong>

Ash ignored the chaos behind him, in favour for the manic scene ahead. His head was spinning at the forced jump, through the elements spinning in their circles, tearing apart space and time and rebuilding it. Gritting his teeth he stalked forwards towards his target. In the entrance way, Giovanni stood smirking, watching the scene with icy eyes.

The only think that separated them was a troop of rocket grunts.

Mewtwo had already moved, trying to psychic the life out of them, but the purple glow spluttered and died. With a snarl, the legendary flung out his hand, a large spoon materialising within. Ash himself had two blue aura blades, spinning them around as he walked steadily towards the grunts.

"Shoot them." Giovanni's lip curled into a smirk, as he backed towards the entrance, near to freedom but still able to watch the life choke out of his enemies.

The psychic abilities were no longer working - and dammit – Ash hated dark types. The rockets readied their weapons, rifles and guns raised to the shooting position, and their Pokémon battle ready, with a gleam in their eyes. The snarling Houndoom stood next to their trainers, Absol baring their scythes and Shiftry with claws outstretched. It was a dark type bonanza, and Mewtwo formed a focus blast in his free three fingered hand.

"If it helps…" Giovanni called, "We weren't actually looking for you. We were following our dark types to find the gear you seem awfully fond of. But if we kill a revolution and control the Pokémon through their precious times gears, then the better for us."

The grunts pulled the trigger.

Eyes widening in alarm at the failing psychic abilities, Mewtwo hastily erected a protect barrier. Ash simply let aura shimmer into being in front of him, a barrier of pure energy with a shield of his own.

Giovanni's eyes widened. For the first time, it probably occurred to him that this fight that he had picked, might be lost. He took a step backwards towards the entrance.

"Aura guardian..." Ash called, mockingly, taunting him into staying, "Or did you forget?" and then he lunged forwards. He might not be able to teleport, but the blue blades at his palms did more than enough damage. He shoved a gun upwards, the shot heading towards the ceiling and embedding itself within. His right hand stabbed the blade into the man's heart. Spinning around he flung the body in the way of another approaching grunt, a knife forming and flicking off to the side, catching another in the throat. Pacing forwards he grabbed another weapon aimed at him, wrenching it out of the way, the shot that fired avoiding him and taking out another grunt behind him.

His target, although the man in the suit being his primary concern was actually the entrance way, spiralled with cracks from the various elemental water, fire and lightning attacks from the morphs behind. Ash ducked a punch, cracking the grunt on the nose and probably snapping the bone, as he made it to the door, standing between Giovanni and freedom.

The boss whirled around, his Persian hissing at his feet. Ash smirked in response, as the grunt platoon stepped back to guard their leader with what would be their lives.

Mewtwo seemed to enjoy bashing the guys with his giant spoon, but was soon set upon by the raging Pokémon. With a snarl of rage the psychic lashed out, spoon sparkling with fire and electricity as he lashed out at the serving beasts, their forms sliding across the marble. The Houndoom's neck was at an odd angle – broken – and while the Absol was unscathed, the Shiftry was burnt.

"Kill them." Giovanni repeated, glancing around. "Now!" there was an edge of panic creeping into his voice. "I want them dead!"

Fishing the gun from a dead rocket, Ash whirled it around, firing at the three grunts who had obeyed their leaders command. They fell, hoarse cries of death. The aura guardian whirled around, looking for his next targets, ducking a snarling Absol moving to meet its rocket trainer, knife viciously snapping across his neck.

The man fell to the ground silently.

In the corner, and away from the fighting, two white suited rockets swallowed nervously. At their feet, a cat voiced their thoughts.

"Uh, Oi think now's a good time to be gettin' outta here!"

"You know what they say." The lilac haired man said weakly. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

And without another word the three turned and raced for a convenient door way at the side. "Team rocket's running away again!"

Ash paused to blink at the familiar cry, before shrugging and continuing to decapitate rockets. Not that many left and then he could get to Giovanni, who was still hiding behind his men.

The leader would get his due, sooner or later.

* * *

><p><strong>Erika<strong>

"Rai!" Erika cried, stumbling away from a deadly electricity bolt, fumbling as she tied to notch an arrow in place. "Get off that thing!"

Said mouse was hanging on tightly to the bumpy ride, the bird rocking in flight beneath him. He stumbled, whip like tail lashing out to steady him.

"Rai CHUU!" the mouse let loose a torrent of thunder and two of the heads let out screeches of pair, the third just shaking off the charge idly. "RaiAi! Chu RaiAiAiAiChu!" (Don't worry! I'm not planning on staying up here long!)

"ReeOh!" The black jackal tossed an aura sphere upwards, (Take this.) with a gruff bark, the sphere impacting with right head of the electric titan, the Zapdos head snapping back at an awkward angle. The bird let out a squawk, before clicking its head back into place with terrifying efficiency, beady eyes alighting on Zo and Luca.

"This is not good." Zo was winning the understatement of the year prize.

The pair scattered as electricity thundered down towards them, but it was redirected at the last second, Raichu's fur crackling with power. "Rai…Ai…Ai….Rai … Chu!" (You're not going to hurt my friends!)

"Chikorita use Magical Leaf!" Erika cried. Her arrow missed the bird, as it lurched in an attempt to remain hovering, yet dislodge the rat from its back.

The brave Johto starter let out a shrill cry, twirling the leaf upon her head, and releasing a flurry of pink petals towards the birds, doing nothing more than stinging it, but giving Rai the opportunity to launch himself from his precarious perch.

Erika frowned. "That… that wasn't magical leaf. That was petal dance." She burst into a grin. "Awesome – Chikorita use petal dance..!"

"Chickoor!"

"Here we go!" Zo cried, "Take a snarl attack!" as she bared her fangs, glowing purple. Besides her Luca was charging a shadow ball in one paw, and a dark pulse in the other. Bringing them clashing together, his eyes glowing red, the black jackal began to form a writhing dark ghost sphere and releasing it. The jackal had aimed it for the black collar around the bird's neck, and it hit, sparking the black restraint but doing no damage.

"Cover me!" Erika cried, seeing that destroying the collar wouldn't work, "I've got an idea!"

She darted across the marble floor, crossing the ground and part of the fire mural before reaching the poison. She could see the curling smog, the patterned Muk, Ariados and Crobat, few among many of the poison type, etched into the stone. Dropping her bow, her hand scrabbled for the gear in her pocket, fingers closing on the cool violet gear as she dropped to her knees, searching for the slot.

It fitted in place with a click, the mural instantly lighting up, lines carved in the stone glowing a faint purple. Around the steel, fire and ground section began to hum in response, the other colours already lit, and elements burning.

Something clacked within her pocket, and she pulled out the dark emerald gear, green gaze reflected in it, searching for the bug section of the hall.

Oh no.

It lay across the far side, beyond where the Zapmolcuno was terrorising a now land bound Rai, Zo and Luca. It sat near to where the once alive rockets had stood, and where Ash and Mewtwo now closed in on Giovanni, the leader only now beginning to realise it was all or nothing.

They were so damn close.

"Lucario!" she cried, "Fit the gear in place! Complete the circle and trap the beasts in the elemental circle! It will override the badge control!"

The black jackal made no acknowledgements that he had heard her. The fighting circle lay to the left of where they were fighting, slightly scorched from the fire titan's errant flamethrower.

"Lucario!"

Red eyes flashed. He had heard her – thank Mew.

And pushing the gear back in her pocket, grabbing her bow and standing, reaching for an arrow in her quiver, the ends tipped with poison, she drew it up to aim at the Fusion, breath slipping out. The bird would fall, sooner or later. The mass of red, blue and yellow feathers flittered across her sight, and she let her muscles relax, bowstring taunt.

And for a single, desperate moment, Erika believed they could win this.

She let the arrow fly.

* * *

><p><strong>Lance<strong>

The dragon master's one thought was how hard the floor was.

He winced as his already beaten muscles landed on the rocky marble, sliding slightly across one of the elemental gear circles. Misty was in his arms, shivering, still startled that he had just pushed her from the jaws of death.

Latias moved down to hold the beast off, Golduck had moved to the limp form of Va, a white glow suggesting he was trying to use recover… but the water duck's couldn't learn recover could they… and dear Mew let the jaded Eevee be okay.

Lance rolled off the Cerulean Gym leader, something digging into his side. Damn it – he still had the flying gear on him – but the thought did not remain long in his mind before he was aware of the snapping beast, shouldering past Latias to get to its prey.

Namely him…

He scrambled backwards, away from the creature. Misty was to the right of him, dazed and confused, and he was the main target, scrabbling around on the floor – easy prey.

His hands were spread eagled behind him, searching for something – anything dammit – to use as a weapon, and it was by pure chance his hand closed over something which felt like a cold rock.

He brought his left hand around (he's always favoured the left hand) and threw the object at the nearest head still alive – the Entei beast, brown shaggy fur and eyes a dull, glazed russet red. It bounced off the head, and Lance saw with increasing horror, that he had just tossed his gun at the Entity, and it had now bounced away across to the centre of the hall. How had the gun been behind him anyway? Oh – wait – he'd given it to Misty right? And his sword… was still lodged in a third of the beast… he was without a weapon…

The monster snarled in agitation, tails thrashing as it stalked towards him, muscles tensing…

Lance lost any sense of self-preservation in that one moment, as he threw himself after the gun he had just tossed away.

The Entity leapt after him.

A single shot rang out.

"Tia!" (Lance!) Latias sped towards the mix of limps in the centre of the hall. The blue Suicune head snapped at her, only to receive a mist ball to the head, crushing the skull. It fell limp, and the beast stopped moving.

Pushing, the red and white dragon heaved the large, hulking combined beast trio off of the still form of Lance. The dragoness nosed him sadly.

"LaLaTia?" (Are you dead?)

He cracked open one eyelid, blood dripping down from a cut on his forehead. "Is it dead?" he asked, swallowing nervously, the gun clattering from his hands. "Because if it isn't I'm going to close my eyes and pretend to be."

"LaTia!" And he was instantly barrelled by an ecstatic eon dragon. (You're alive!)

A few metres in front of him Misty was getting groggily to her feet. "Did it die?" she asked, shaking her head. Lance frowned in concern – she probably had a concussion from him, knocking her to the rock solid floor, but it was better than being dead in his books.

"Yes – all three parts are dead…" Lance stopped, eyes alighting on a still form "Va!" and he launched himself across to the limp brown furred Eevee.

To his relief, when he reached the clone and the duck, the fox stirred weakly. "VuiVee?" (Hey Lance?) She asked, "EveEevVui." (Promise me something.)

"_She wants you to promise her something."_ Latias telepathically translated.

"Don't die." Lance said sternly. "_Nobody _is going to die today."

"VuiEevee. EveVui Vui Vaa Eve Eeva!" (Don't let them die. Please, promise me you won't let them die!)

Latias translated.

"I promise." Lance said, "I wasn't planning on it. He's a suicidal fool and I promise you, that I won't let either Ash, or Raichu be killed this day." He rested a hand on the clone's chest and her ear twitched tiredly, body lying still. She was still alive, Latias confirmed for him, just resting. Lance leaned back, catching his racing heartbeat, knowing that Erika needed help, and the gears needed to be set in stone. Yet still he felt the weight of the promise settle upon him, the vow he had made.

Ash would live if it was the last thing he did.

Promises were dangerous things.

* * *

><p><strong>Erika<strong>

The Fusion was tiring. It might be triply resistant to her poisoned arrows, but they would kill it eventually. At least the ice type had been dealt with, an arrow straight between the eyes. The bird was now lopsided, loosing half of its wings and the other two all the more enraged because of it.

The final three, unfilled gear murals lay across the other side of the hall where Ash and Mewtwo were. The latter was fighting with a giant spoon… Erika paused – a spoon? _Really..?_ There would be forks next although know she thought about it, Lance had an overgrown vegetable knife…

"Erika! Duck!"

She obeyed, because when Lance, the champion of the elite four told you to duck – you listened without complaint.

As it was, the bird has chosen that moment to release a triple gust attack to remain in flight, and the strong wind would have pushed Erika over had she still been standing. Lance and Misty appeared to have killed the Entity, and they were racing over, Misty with a large and lethal looking hammer, and Lance with a large knife… no… wait… that was _definitely_ a sword.

She shook her head, and moved towards where Ash and Mewtwo were.

"Chuck me your gear!" she cried to Lance, who had paused to survey the chaotic scene of the Zapmolcuno… wait… no Articuno – did that make it a Zapmol? – Before fishing the gear out of his pocket and tossing it to her without warning.

She caught it – just – by the tips of her fingers, and it had arced painstakingly through the air for a few, terrible seconds before she managed to catch it. "A little warning next time?" she laughed hysterically, before turning and bolting for the end of the hall.

Giovanni it appeared had tried to escape after he saw his precious Entity killed, but Ash was behind him, having thrown an aura sphere into the stone work above the door, sending rubble clattering down. The aura guardian punched an aura imbued first into a grunt's chest, ignoring the sickening crunch or the clenched fist which slammed into his jaw, cutting his lip. Shoving the dying man away Ash formed his blue black aura blades, spinning them on his palm. The aura itself was black, but every now and then it would shimmer blue slightly – as if anticipating the brief, singular moment it might be alive.

The realisation that slotting the gears in place would kill Ash hit her, and she fell to her knees over the bug mural in the corner, spun with webs and insects of all sorts.

Numbly she slotted the gear into place, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind. Maybe it was the simple fact that she wasn't sure anymore whether they were winning or losing, or that fact that this was inevitable, and they might as well end it now, why they were still all up and fighting, and before somebody died…

And with that thought the fighting gear, slotted into place, the dark furred jackal looking up at her, with deep red irises. "LucaRio." (Let me.)

He took the final gear – Lance's clear flying stone – and in a few leaps, bounded across to where the soaring bird Pokémon were carved, earthbound yet forever flying.

It slid smoothly into place.

And the elements burnt.

* * *

><p><strong>Ash (a few seconds earlier)<strong>

"You're not going anywhere." The dark haired man snarled. "Not this time. No running away."

Giovanni snarled. "Try and kill me then. What does it matter? There will be others, with my ideal. Others, to carry on my work!"

"What? Like your son?" Ash laughed, "Silver would sooner die than continue Team Rocket in your name." he enjoyed the flinch from the man, as he mocked him. "Arianna, Archer and Petrol _ran away_, because they were scared of me. Silver is going to grow up free of your influence, free of Team Rocket's name and free of a world with you in it. Allow me to help that along…"

"_NO!"_ Mewtwo dispatched the Persian set upon him with ruthless efficiency. _"Giovanni is mine."_

"Says who?" Ash spat.

"_He brought about my suffering before yours."_ The psychic determined.

"He created you. He brought you to life – is that suffering? And me… he _killed me_. He _killed_ my mother, my father, my _world_…"

"_How terrible,"_ Mewtwo droned, the pair oblivious to the leader standing between them. _"The boy once so kind hearted has fallen to this – a man on the brink of madness – driven by revenge…"_

"Shut up!"

"_Why do you even bother – when you know what it's going to lead to?"_

Ash glared balefully at Mewtwo. "Because it gives me some _satisfaction._.."

The psychic laughed. _"You know in the end… I reckon we're more alike than I originally thought. More like twins… than brothers. And more like clones of the other than of our original…"_

All the pain and suffering came down to this one man standing before him. The coward had remained standing, even if he knew his imminent demise. And Ash so longed to bring it…

But… a thought nagged at him … it wasn't right really – was it? Any of this… the killing, the murdering… the clones and morphs… None of it was right. Even he was _wrong (freak) _– a mix of nature – human and Pokémon – and he could feel the wildness at the edge of his aura…

Misty wouldn't want him to become a murderer.

He already was.

There was a humming in the air, as Erika managed to slot the last gear into place. His time was up.

Let his last act – the last act of the war – be one motivated by what was right, and not, by what was easy.

Ash stared for a long moment at the psychic. "Take him then." He said shortly. "Take him and end it," Leaving no other option for the clone, Ash tried briefly to teleport, but the whirling elements and the increasing pressure stopped him. Instead he stalked across the hall in long, quick strides. He could feel the air warming and lifting, with a new, fresh life. The elements on the floor were burning, bright coloured circles revolving and _singing (screaming)_.

Erika's plan for breaking the collar might have failed, but she had managed to trap the bird in between its elements. Caught in the flare of fire, glow of ice and static of the electricity circles, the Fusion Zapmolcuno (Erika was terrible at naming things) lay suspended, crying out in soundless pain. The rest of the group were staring wide eyed at the bird, as its form shimmered into one, then three, as if undecided, stuck between morph and individual. Freak or normality, Ash could no longer tell.

The creature was frozen, caught in the currents the gears created; back arched eyes dull, beak open. It stood on the floor, talons uncurled and wings outspread, like an avenging angel, unsure whether to deal out punishment or retribution.

Ash ended the decision, blue aura blade crushing down on the back, cutting through the spin which connected the bird, breaking the collar in the same movement. It snapped, and for a moment the once magnificent creature stood there, burning away the last of its life.

"Be at peace." Ash whispered, as the form collapsed, dead, to the ground. The elemental circles hummed, as it fell across the point where the fire, ice and electricity circle met. Charge ran through the body, lightning it up, as the fire began to eat away at the flesh, the bird dissolving as they watched into the elements from which it was born.

He glanced up at the others, Erika and Lucario to his right, Lance and Misty in front of him, Va, Latias and Golduck to his far left. Zo was stranded in between, and the Chikorita was standing near the dark fox.

The hall had fallen into silence, which was broken almost immediately, by a hoarse cry from the entrance. Ash spun around, eyes their natural auburn, and focussed on the clone of Mew.

The psychic stood, his spoon outstretched, a giant lethal psychic sword, his back to Giovanni. The team rocket leader stared into space for a single moment, before crumpling to the ground as the head fell from the body, entirely cleaved across the neck.

Giovanni was dead.

And time was now moving.

Ash had been feeling it for the past few minutes, the slow pressure that increased and then decreased, as if someone was cranking at a handle. The air was suddenly so think, and he choked on it, glancing around once more at the group, who had stuck with him through thick and thin, before eventually settling on the dark brown eyes of his best friend, the electric type shivering slightly, as a breeze shifted through the hall, across the gaps in the wall and passed the shattered glass roof.

The gears were glowing, the elements dancing, fire, earth, shadows… it was one giant mural, one giant puzzle finally, after all this time, fitted together.

The bodies of the rockets and fusion beasts were caught in the fury of time. The fusion bird had already been dissolved by the elements, while the remaining rockets were burned up by the rest, the colours spreading in a kaleidoscope of patterns and colours. Then they faded, colours dying as the bodies of their enemies, the grunts, the boss and the Pokémon faded into ash and drifted away into nothing.

Blinded, Erika and shielded her eyes as the elements flared, but now they relaxed, glow sinking back into the mural and she looked up, with hopeful eyes, at the hall. Nothing looking different, but there was the feeling there, that hadn't been around a minute ago. She took a deep breath, and for the first time in four years tasted felt fresh air. Not the stale, stagnant breezes that she was used to, but fresh, clean air.

It tasted like a breath of life. It tasted like a bitter reminder.

Time was moving.

The time paralysis had ended.

The long whip-like tail stopped flicking from side to side.

With a muted gasp Ash crumbled to the ground, eyes flickering shut and breathing stilling.

* * *

><p><strong>May 2013 - I've decided to call the shipping with May and Lance DragonWingShipping. I have no idea why, but it sounds nice.<strong>

**I'd apologise for the ending, but you all knew it was coming. There's another chapter before the prequel begins though, so sit tight.**

**Also if I don't update next Thursday, it would be because my exam period is starting. I probably won't be able to get another update out until the second week of June, but I will try my hardest. Especially leaving it on this cliff hanger (which was completely unintentional *whistles innocently*).**

**Thank you to The Agent of Fire, CharlieBoneFan and Ky111. I think you three must have reviewed practically every chapter for a while, and it makes my day to hear your feedback and comments, and to know that my writing isn't as disorganised or hopeless as I often view it to be. Although looking back and discovering stupid spelling errors and typos it might well be pretty hopeless.**

**~ Eclipse**


	25. Balance Of Life

**Chapter 25 - Balance Of Life**

"_And in the end it must return to dust. There is no bargain. What is… is what must be..."_Latias

* * *

><p><strong>[12:00PM] – 27th May 2011 – Route 2 – Mount Moon SECTION Base<strong>

The bandana wearing technician leaned back in her chair, frowning as her computer screen blinked. The power generators were fading again. May wondered idly if the electric Pokémon were going on strike or something.

Her hand moved towards the mouse when with a short splutter the screen fizzled and died. May stared, sighing in exasperation.

"Nyah?" her fox asked, curled up next to Glaceon, fire and ice wrapped up together. Ninetales' ears twitched curiously, but Glaceon remained sleeping.

"Nothing," She waved her fire type away, leaning back in her chair, allowing it to spin slightly. Maybe she should take a break – look for some of the others around the building. She missed her old office in Viridian – she was currently stationed in a large lounge, which she shared with the others – Dawn was currently sleeping in the corner, Gary and Leaf gallivanting off who _knows_ where and Brock up to his usual gym leader business, probably with his brother.

Her gaze fell on a red and white sphere on her desk, and she reached out a hand towards it. It was her Skitty, she recognised the scratch marks from when the excited kitten had tried to play ball with the sphere. It was slightly dusty, from remaining forgotten in a bag or on a shelf for so long, unopened.

"I miss you guys." She breathed softly. "Ledian, Beautifly, Munchlax, Wartortle, Venusaur… Blaziken…" she closed her eyes, trying to picture her team, which she hadn't seen in so long. Her finger traced the white button to release her chosen Pokémon.

In a fit of nostalgia, she let her thumb press down on the button, expecting the ball to remain dim and unresponsive. She certainly didn't expect it to click open, red energy coalescing into a small pink and cream form.

"Kit_ty_?" (Hello?)

She blinked in bewilderment at her hyper kitten. "Skitty?" she asked, in disbelief.

"TyTyTyTy!" the Pokémon bounced up and down in happiness at seeing her trainer again. (MayMayMayMay!)

May glanced dumbly at the Pokémon and then at the empty Pokéball in her hand. She blinked once more at the pink and cream cat, before the link between the two clicked in her mind.

The Pokémon were no longer under the time lock.

She leapt to her feet and raced out of the room, passing Dawn in a whirlwind and leaving a disgruntled Ninetales behind, the fox burying her head under her paws at the actions of her bizarre trainer.

"What?" Dawn blinked blearily. "What's going on? What's the crisis?" she frowned as she observed what looked like May, blue shirt and bandana racing down the corridor, followed by a pink and cream puff ball. Glaceon, being roused by May's hyper jog down the corridor, yawned and stretched, before deciding to follow after her trainer with a flick of her tail, albeit more sedately.

"YahNya Nine," (She's finally lost it.) The cream fox observed to Dawn. "Nyyy AhTaleNineTales." (Well either that or Lance is back.)

Further down the corridor May was still racing towards the elite's quarters. Will and Koga had to know about this… no… wait… wrong location. Ah well… Bruno and Karen would do just as well and she might bump into Brock or Gary on her way there.

"They've done it!" she squealed, pausing to jump happily around in little circles. A few passing rebels paused to stare at her in confusion as she raced away, followed by a hyper Skitty and a patient Glaceon.

One blue haired researcher ducked his head in embarrassment, not surprised at all. "She is so not my sister." He denied to the Ralts at his side, the small Pokémon just glancing at him in amusement.

* * *

><p><strong>Extract from a translation of runes found in ruins on New Moon Island, Sinnoh, and estimated date around εуλ1400<strong>

'_He was of the night and the shadows. She was of the day and the light. He would whisper in your ears as you screamed and she would watch over your peaceful sleep._

_He was the reaper, who would collect the souls, and his children would ferry the souls to the other side, and every living thing feared him. He was death and nightmares and pain, and all who met him would know him, for their souls would weep and tremble and he owned that which was theirs to give when their time came.'_

* * *

><p><strong>Print-out of a Professor's notes on the ruins<strong>

'_Appears to be a shrine of worship for Darkrai (Dark type – Legendary) – Polar opposite is Creselia_

_Nightmares Vs. Dreams – Living and Dead_

_Darkrai is meant to control death/ferry souls to the dead/controls who lives and dies_

'_And at his touch, the heart stops beating and the spirit and soul might leave the body for a higher plane…'_

_Reaps the souls of the dead – causes nightmares – link to Giratina?_

_Link to Eon dragons – soul guardian? Soul dew? – Lati's guard oceans? Ferry souls?_

* * *

><p>And mothers would tell their children – be a good child or Darkrai will get you, steal your soul and drag you into oblivion.<p>

It's hard to decide where the stories originally came from, and what truth lay in the myths. Darkrai was a son of Arceus, the Prince of the Night. He was the keeper of souls, the worst fear of many living creatures on the planet. For what can one fear more than death?

There is a tale, which lies buried, about a deal which can be made with him.

One soul for another.

That is the price of life.

One soul for another – as one awakens so the other shall be doomed. It might be immediately. It might be in ten years, but his mark rests over you, forever more, until Death claims you.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:00PM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Indigo Plateau**

Fresh air had never tasted so good before. It washed over them, like a breath of life as the whole world seemed to relax the long, eternal breath they didn't even know it had been holding. The elemental gear murals of fire, ice, water, air, bug… every single one of them was softly glowing, which as they watched, slowly died, along with the living element.

And the world shall turn to ash.

The dust of the intruders, those who had dared to disturb the peace, floated in the light breeze that sifted through the air, lifting their spirits. And as the glow from the gears faded, they became aware of, for the first time in four or five years, the sun, rising in the east.

The dawn had come.

And that was about the time Ash and Rai crumpled to the floor.

Misty spun around, and darted towards his crumpled form in a new burst of adrenaline. Lance and Erika remained where they stood, sadly staring at the electric elite.

"VUiVE!" (Rai!) Va threw herself over to Rai, limping heavily as she crouched down by the orange mouse. Her fur was plastered to her side, blood congealing over a wound on her flank, and her whiskers drooping as she nudged the electric type. The mouse was quivering with pain, breaths short and fast and already growing weaker and weaker. "Eee…" she whined, a pitiful mew, and Misty blinked, recognising the broken sound of a shattered heart.

"Ash!" she scrambled for a pulse, feeling the faint fluttering of life beneath her fingertips. "Ash – what is it? What's wrong?"

But his form was unresponsive, already unconscious to the world.

"Misty." Lance moved forwards, a hand on her shoulder, trying to pull her away but she shoved him away.

"Ash! Please. Don't do this to me."

"Misty." Lance tried again. "This is why he didn't come back to you. This is why he never found you. He knew this would happen."

"NO!" Misty screamed, and standing she spun to face him. "What do you mean 'this would happen?' What is it? _What's_ happening?"

"_The balance of life is taking its debt."_ Latias chirped, golden eyes sad. _"Ash should be dead. He could remain, suspended in the frozen time period, but now that everything is back to normal… Misty he's dying. Ash is dead."_

"NO!" Misty shook her head, denying, and dropping back to his side. "No he's not – not again! Don't leave me again!" She pulled herself closer to him, as if it might make everything better.

"Somebody has to die." Erika murmured. "He told me the balance had to be kept."

"Then we stop it!" Misty snapped, "We can stop time again… take out the gears…"

Mewtwo paced forwards, his giant spoon missing now, and his purple eyes emotionless. _"Once started it cannot be stopped simply by disrupting this energy flow we created. Like the machine Giovanni used to control the Fusions, the badges of pure energy to amplify the elements power, the gears and temporal tower work in the same way to restart time. It cannot be undone."_

Erika sank to the floor, knees giving way beneath her as tears welled up. "He's dead." She sobbed, her breath heaving. "Misty it's too late. He's gone."

"No!" Misty moved forward, grasping Ash's face, fingers on his neck, trying for a pulse that wasn't there.

Erika's head drops, fists clenching in her jacket. "You bloody coward." She whispered. "Always running away…" she swallowed down a lump in her throat.

Lance moved down beside Misty, reaching for a pulse, but she got there before him, fingers pressed to his neck. "No." she gasped, trying again. "No don't do this to me you bastard. Not now. Not after everything we've been through."

There was a mournful wail from Va who had sunk back onto her haunches, form shifting fluidly from Vaporeon to Jolteon to Flareon to Espeon. _"You promised!"_ her mental voice screamed at Lance. The champion pulled Misty back, away from the body, as the Espeon's eyes flashed purple. "_You said you'd keep them safe!"_ Va's voice dropped into a sob. "_You promised..."_

"I… I'm sorry…" Lance choked out. "I tried, I'm sorry; I don't know how…" he clenched his eyes closed. "Dammit Ash, why'd you have to play some stupid trick like this," He cursed, looking up weakly at Latias and Mewtwo. "Is there a way?" he asked the legendary pair. "Any way… anything… I'd do anything…" he swore.

Misty pushed him away, sinking into herself, like she had down so long ago.

Lance repeated his demand. "Latias… please…"

The red eon dragon shook her head, but not out of denial, but out of pure unwillingness.

A spark of hope gleamed in Lance's eyes, "Latias? Is there a way?"

"_A balance," _Mewtwo prompted, when the eon refused to speak up. "_Lives are in balance and must remain so."_

He didn't understand it at first. He couldn't see what Mewtwo was trying to say. A balance. One life enters the world as another dies. Time freezes and the scales had been knocked off kilter and Ash managed to find his own loophole to live. Now everything was back to normal. They'd been trying for it for so long, but not like this.

_Everything was back to normal._

One life enters and another dies.

"A balance." He breathed, repeating the clone's words. "One life for another." He looked up, at the legendary pair, pushing himself to his feet. "You can do that? Arrange it?"

"What?" Misty's usual blue green eyes are red and tear stained. "What are you doing Lance." Her voice wavers slightly and he was see her forcing back the waves of sorrow threatening to crush her. She has always been so strong… "Don't you do anything stupid you idiot." She snaps.

Erika has slotted together the pieces, running the phrase over and over in her head. "Don't Lance…" she begs.

"Take me." Lance says, holding his arms out to the legendries. "You need a balance. Take me. Take me instead. I die and Ash lives… right? Will that work? Latias you know about souls? Will it work?"

"No!" Misty shakes her head. "No, no, nobody else!"

"_A balance must be kept." _Latias intones, as if it is something she recites regularly to people._ "One death for another. But remember… there is no bargain. What is… is what must be."_

"_I'll_ do it then."

Lance turned to face Erika, wide eyed. "No!" he snapped. "Stop this! Nobody else is dying! This is my deal. I made that promise and I'll keep it!"

"And?" Erika scoffs, "Nobody will miss me! My gym is gone! My friends are dead. Let me do something useful for once instead of needing to be saved!" the grass leader spat, tears running down her face.

"Chikor?" (Erika?) the Chikorita squeaked, nuzzling her legs.

"You don't mean that." Lance snapped. "Don't tell me you mean that! You're our friend! Without you I reckon Ash would be slightly more insane and we'd have less gears. Don't make it out like you're worth less than us!"

"But I am – aren't I?" Erika cried, "I couldn't save anybody… Ash… Everybody died and I survived. But I'm pathetic and can't do anything – Ash… he can do so much more!"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Zo cried, nuzzling Ash's hair from where she was curled up. Luca stood behind her, red eyes closed in grim acceptance.

"You can't…" Misty shook her head. "He'd kill you for throwing your life away like this!"

"I'll do it." Erika repeats.

"No you won't." Lance glares at her. "We're not discussing this!" Erika flinches slightly and looks down in submission. "No Misty." He said firmly; when the red head opens her mouth, as if to offer herself up instead. "What do you think Ash would do to me if he was alive and you died huh? He'd kill _me_."

There was an awkward silence which followed, and the purple Espeon limped forwards a single pace, her tail still touching the still body of her mate. Her form shuddered, and shrunk back into that of the pitiful Eevee. "_Do it then."_ She challenged Lance, and she's still an Eevee, but it's her voice ringing through his head. _"If you must, throw your life away and be damn about the consequences."_ He can see the longing in her eyes, coupled with the complete disgust of seeing one sell ones soul for another and the two are warring with the other. He's not sure which one is winning.

"PiChU!" the small little yellow mouse escaped Misty's bag to run to her adopted brother. "PiChU! PiChu…" she chirped, hiccupping slightly.

"You're an idiot!" Zo snarls at him. "If you think this is going to make this better? Have you ever considered he might actually prefer to be dead?"

Her words make them pause, but only for a second, before even Zo shivers and shakes her head. "Don't…" she whispers. "You don't have to… you shouldn't…"

"I must." Lance says, cutting out any arguments before they grow. "Fine." he nodded towards the two psychic legendries. "I agree to it."

Latias shook her head, unwilling. The Soul Dragon glanced at Mewtwo who just looked grave – but then again the clone looked like that most of the time.

"I offer up my life in return for theirs." He motioned to Ash and Rai. "Take it - my soul, now, for his."

The two psychics looked at each other, undecided.

"_Now_!" Lance snapped, stepping backwards, until he stood within what he knew to be the dark navy dragon type gear. This had to happen. He knew this had to happen. He'd seen it, after all, in the curls and swirls of his tattoo.

"_Your future, laid out for all to see."_

Latias drifted forwards, while Mewtwo motioned to the rest of the Pokémon to drag Misty away from the aura guardian. Erika sat nearby, coincidently within his grass circlet with her Chikorita, while Misty protested and struggled but eventually collapsed within her own, water gear, Golduck standing next to her.

The dragoness turned to Lance, whose limbs were beginning to shake from fatigue and a horrible, terrible knowledge of one's own death. _"Blood must be paid at the altar. Blood must be paid for the cost." _she intoned, gold eyes sad, apologetic even. He was not the first, Lance realised, to have offered up a soul for another, and this was not the first time she had done this.

Lance, his breathing ragged, lightheadedly drew a dagger from his sleeve, a short blade; more of a knife really, and with a swift, clean cut, brought it across his hand, until red ran down, crimson rust.

"_Are you sure?"_ Latias asked. _"You don't have to do this. The Eons have the power to see the soul, to preserve it, to guard it, to keep the balance. My brother's soul was encased within a soul dew until it shattered. Yours will move on, to whatever it is that awaits those departed, and I will guide it there, as is my duty. But once you agree you cannot turn back."_

The red head let out a short slightly hysterical laugh. "I sort of knew that." He said shakily.

"No." Misty whispered, shaking her head. "No." yet even she couldn't deny the undeniable hope in her eyes that Ash might be okay. She would break, if Ash remained dead, and this time there would be no picking up of the pieces. And Erika already had lost that confidence, the self-assurance which had carried her so far. And Va, the poor Eevee that life had been so cruel to. For her to lose those the most precious to her – her mate and master…

But there was final thing Lance had to do.

He reached for the dragon around his neck, and lifted him down gently. "Look after May for me." He whispered to it.

"Dra." (No.) It shook its head, tail curling around his arm in an effort to prevent him from moving him.

"Dratini." (I'm not leaving.)

"_He has made his choice." _Mewtwo translated. _"As you have made yours. And now you must die."_

Lance's head snapped towards the psychic at the abrupt statement. He couldn't at least try to be nice about it?

He vaguely noticed that the gear mural he stood in, the navy blue dragon was glowing with elemental power again, along with the yellow lightning gear where Ash and Rai lay, bodies almost cold, the life gone.

He let Dratini curl up around his arm, scales smoothly sliding along his jacket.

It was time.

The last through before Lance's vision faded, was that he'd never get to ask May out on that date.

Then the world slid into black.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:09PM] – 27<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Indigo Plateau **

People like to say everything comes around in a circle. Erika was not there, that terrible morning at Indigo last time, on the cliff side as the rockets and team confronted the League and SECTION, announcing the war, announcing their ruling, announcing the end.

But now… four years – almost five – things seemed to have returned to their origins. A sacrifice, honourable and pure, made completely willingly, was allowing fate to change once more, to defy the laws of the Original One.

Erika choked slightly, on her tears, as she watched the blue and yellow glows glow brighter and brighter, until she could no longer look and then it was gone, and she blinked through blurry eyes, trying to see the outcome. Latias had lowered her head sadly, golden eyes closed, and even Mewtwo had inclined his head towards the place where Lance and his dragon had stood.

Had…

Past tense…

"Lance." She whispered, and scrambled clumsily to her feet, speeding up as she walked across to where the champion and his companion lay. "Oh no."

She heard, through muffled ears, Ash and Rai breath in a much needed, breath of life, and for the former, to immediately break into a fit of coughing.

"Am I still dead?" the aura guardian asked blearily, pushing himself up of the cold electric mural, "because I have this horrible sense of déjà vu. And last time I awoke on a cold snowy mountain with a god telling me he just brought me back to life for a little bit longer to save the world. Again…"

"Ash!" Misty was first across, beating Zo who was a close second. The initial pair clung together for a moment before the transforming Zorua gave up being patient and shifted to a human, throwing her arms around them both.

"Don't do that you idiot." The fox muttered, sounding as if she had a blocked nose.

"RaiAiAiChu?" (Zo are you crying?)

"No." she sobbed. "I have hay fever."

The stoic Lucario bowed his head in respect as the three separated, and Ash raised an eyebrow at the black jackal, before kneeling down and pulling the surprised aura Pokémon into a head lock. "I missed you to." He said, in response to the unspoken words, releasing the indignant Lucario.

The aura guardian paused, eyes straying past where Rai and Va were pressed together, to where Erika sat. "What… what happened? Because I pretty sure I was dead for good that time."

Erika swallowed down a lump in her throat. "Lance… he said the balance… he switched… him for you… he…"

"No."

The aura guardian must have teleported, to have reached her side so quickly, hands searching for a non-existent pulse, eerily similar to the position Misty had been in only a few minutes again. "No, no – you _moron_," He snarled, hands clenching, aura pulsing over them, blue, for the first time in years, with none of that black darkness from the past months. "Son of a… You _idiot_!" he shouted to the hall, to the dead champion who wasn't around to hear him, before slumping defeated. "My life isn't worth this."

"We thought it was." Erika said quietly. "If not for you… then me or Misty… but Lance wouldn't let us."

"VuiVuiVa Eev…" (This is my entire fault.) The Eevee stared, ears drooping, "EeEeVee Vaa." (I made him promise to save you two.)

"_It's not your fault."_ Latias cooed in their heads. _"This was his path. He chose it. It was written down for him, from the very start."_

Ash shook his head in denial. "No. This can't be it. You can't just die!" he grabbed a wrist, searching for the faint pulse of blood. "You can't just go and die now all this is over. It doesn't work like that moron! And… you can't just switch the balance like that. You can't just sell your soul for me, just like that… Not when it should be me and not you there. Why… why does it always work for you huh? You complete jerk!"

"Don't, Ash." Erika pleased, "He's dead. He's gone." She curled back into herself, Misty limping over; her face broken and sorrowful. The grass leader shook her head… maybe if only she'd tried to… do something…

"He's not dead!" Ash snapped a denial, even though it was obviously pointless. But Lance couldn't be dead. He can't be. It wasn't meant to be Lance, it was him, he was dead, meant to die, and now he was here, alive, with a spark of life in his veins. Rai's electricity was indisputably yellow, and he knew his aura was back to the pure, general blue it always had been before he died. He was alive and Lance was dead.

He was relieved; he wasn't dead, then instantly annoyed and guilty. Why did Lance have to act the noble hero? Why did he do something this stupid? Ash was being a complete hypocrite here, but he didn't care, because his best friend was dying… dead…

Ash hadn't been allowed to die when time was still. It was the incentive to find the gears, find the gears and end the dreadful half-living of the world and his self. His body would revert back to the way it was, stuck in the single plane of time, fixed, unable to change or be altered. He was pretty sure Giovanni could have shot him again and he would have woken, as if nothing had happened a little while later.

Ash's death was fixed. He would die when time began to move. It would move on without him and he'd be left behind.

Instead Lance had died, taking his place. It wasn't meant to work like that, regardless of Lance's death he should have died as well. Then why had it worked? The stupid self-sacrificing jerk had sold his soul in exchange for Ash's life. It was a reckless sort of action he'd expect of himself and not the champion.

Words he had spoken earlier to Lance echoed back at him. There had to be a balance of life and of death. And if Lance had fallen, at the crucial turning point, and Ash had remained, then the balance was there. Lance had sacrificed himself for Ash and Rai, for the pair to live while he died.

Lance was dead.

He shook his head, as he arrived at the same conclusion as before. No! There had to be some way. Lance could not be dead. The champion was a fighter, he wouldn't just step forwards and die like that!

The champion could have died at any point in the past few years. No life was born but the deaths were infinite. Life would kill itself out, in the frozen time period, yet Ash would have remained, fixed and permanent. He wasn't now, he knew if he cut himself he would bleed and keep bleeding, until finding a bandage, healing naturally. Ash was no longer a fixed point in space and time.

Lance had replaced him there.

The dark haired man's head snapped up, staring at the form of the dragon master.

Lance could have died at any point. He had replaced Ash, as the fixed point that had to die. Yet it wasn't his fate to die, that was Ash's, yet Ash was alive and Lance wasn't. Somewhere, someone had taken a pen to the book of destiny and scribbled out Ash's death, the debt paid, yet not written any in place of it.

Maybe… just maybe… more than one of Ash's curses might have passed over to the champion when he had taken Ash's place.

The aura guardian glanced at the eon dragon who glanced up, golden eyes hopeful and sad, as if still waiting for everything to happen.

He sent her a message, _"Will it work?"_ he asked, eyes burning gold with hope.

"_I don't know."_ She answered honestly, truthfully, horribly painfully truthfully and Ash could only wait, heart beat thundering, as he grabbed the champion's wrist, feeling for the faint beat of blood, rhythm of life beneath the skin.

Lance didn't have to die.

There was an odd humming in the air, almost like a distant song.

Lance… wasn't dying.

"Oh thank Mew." Ash rocked back, tension seeping out of him. Latias raised her head, eyes hardly daring to hope that she had managed to curse the soul she had swapped… but yes… there… the wounds of the champion… the cuts and grazes and the cut along his palm… they were slowly and inexplicably, beginning to heal. The eon let out a delighted coo, eyes sinking closed in relief. Darkrai would have her head for this, but she could feign innocence and get away with it easily enough.

Mewtwo shot her a sideways glance, and for a moment he looked almost like he was smiling too.

"What?" Erika threw herself forwards, grabbing the hand Ash had dropped, and reaching for a pulse. She blinked. "He's alive?"

"He is." Ash insisted. "There's a pulse. He wasn't meant to die so it's reversing itself, like your poison and me in Saffron. He _is_ alive Erika. He's alive."

"He's… not dead?" Erika seemed to have forgotten what the word 'alive' meant.

"He's alive." Ash confirmed. Using the term 'alive' didn't help Erika's confusion.

The air was humming with song, and Ash and Erika looked up curiously, before glancing off to where Misty had been sitting. The red head had vacated the area though and was standing among the shattered glass of the roof, near the entrance, staring at something as if entranced.

"Misty?" Ash called.

She turned around, face split into a brilliant smile. "It… it's going to be okay now – isn't it?"

"Lance is alive." Ash said, glancing at the champion.

"I know." Misty whispered. "Come and see."

Ash stood, simultaneously teleporting to her side. She flinched slightly, but her smile didn't fade. She gestured to the doorway. "She came back."

The aura guardian hadn't yet turned, but the song in the air rose in volume. Within the doorway, a white angel hovered, blue and red triangles covering the soft, creamy white feathers.

"It's a Togekiss." Erika felt tears coming to her eyes again. "It is said they come to times of great joy. Of peace…"

"Don't you recognise her?" Misty asked, staring up at Ash. "It's my Togepi. My little baby; she came back."

The Jubilee Pokémon let out a soft croon, as she drifted forwards towards the pair, electric and water trainer. "Toge."

She had stopped singing, staring in happiness at the two in front of her.

"Hey – Misty?" Ash asked, spinning her around gently. The red head in his arms looked up at him teary eyed.

"What is it?"

He reached up with his right hand, tipping up her chin and kissed her.

Erika looked at Lance who had opened his eyes, pushing himself up off the glass strewn floor. "Don't expect the same treatment." She warned him, glaring at him. The champion still looked a bit dazed, taking in the angel Togekiss, crooning happily. Raichu and Va raced over to say hi, avoiding their still lip locked trainers who were catching up after a few years apart. Erika was still glaring at him, with Pichu and Chikorita at her feet, Zo pulling a face and Lucario, the stoic sullen black Lucario who was as silent as the grave, smiling.

Nobody noticed when Latias and Mewtwo faded into invisibility, happy as they were.

"Well that's the sight every dead guy wants to see after being resurrected. His best friend getting some while he isn't." Lance complained, still trying to piece together what had just happened.

Ash and Misty broke apart, Ash narrowing his eyes and Misty blushing red.

"Say that again and I might feel tempted to play the big brother when you start dating May." Ash threatened, but it lacked any real threat to it. Not to mention Misty hit him on the arm for the comment.

Erika looked torn for a bit before sighing. "Oh screw this," she muttered, and threw herself at him, squealing. "You're alive!" she seemed to have remembered what the word meant. "Thank Mew…" she whispered, "Thank you."

Togekiss paused in her singing, crooning softly and happily, overjoyed to have found such a joyous scene. Misty who seemed to want to hug Lance, settled instead for flinging herself on her evolved Togepi. "Are you staying?" she whispered into the feathers.

"Pi." (Always). The Jubilee Pokémon chirped. "TogeTogeKiss." (I'm here to stay.)

"I missed you!" Misty half laughed, half sobbed into the white feathers.

"If it helps..." Ash laughed, "She just told you she's staying."

Lance seemed to have a little problem. "Uh… Erika… Can you let me breathe… a little… bit…"

She instantly let go. "Sorry." She blushed. "You had us worried for a minute there. We thought you were dead."

She helped his up, the champion looking a little light headed. "I think I was..." he frowned. "It wasn't that interesting. I wouldn't recommend it."

Ash chuckled. "It is pretty dull." he agreed, still grinning wildly at the irony of it all. He was talking about death with his best friend. "I mean - it's not the worst thing ever and I suppose when we eventually get there it will be okay. I always said I'd try anything once, but that, I think I'll wait a bit before trying again."

"I thought I was a goner." Lance admitted.

"You're definitely a moron." Ash added helpfully.

"What happened?" Misty queried, "I thought… someone had to die?"

The raven swallowed, "I'm not exactly sure." He admitted. "But I know that when you died instead of me, my super healing transferred onto you. Because it's so soon, and time is still getting set up, it allowed your death to reverse back to life. In other words you are just really, really lucky. Latias and I thought for a minute there that we'd lost you… but then death rejected you."

Misty let out a hysterical giggle. "Hear that? You just got dumped by death Lance."

Ash frowned, looking around for the missing clone and eon, but made no comment at their vanishing. Instead he let Rai leap into his arms, cuddling up like he used to as a Pikachu.

"RaiAiChu!" (We're alive!) he chirped brightly.

Ash laughed. "_Yes. Yes we are; aren't we? Isn't life good?"_

And there, in the ruins of Indigo Plateau, among the seventeen elemental circles, the gang gathered smiling, old friends and new, happy and alive and well.

Sometimes it was good to be alive.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: June 2013<strong>

**I feel slightly cruel, playing with you all like that, but this was my plan since way back when Ash and Erika were still hanging around Saffron. I hope it meets expectations, and I'm sure there were better ways I could have potentially played this, but this was what I chose. In case it was confusing, Ash died when time moved on, so Lance traded his life for Ash's, but Latias managed to move Ash's curse onto Lance so he healed from death. The healing is not going to remain either, so he's not going to be the 'fixed point' Ash was. **

**Please don't ask for any more details about how it works. It just does, and me, as the author, barely managed to follow my own explanation when editing this. I probably need to work on that... Also the thing with trading life/soul with Darkrai was thrown in last minute, so if it feels random, its because it probably is.**

**There's a sort of epilogue next, and then the prequel. Updates will be odd, after all, I missed my Thursday update due to an exam yesterday. "Castiel, angel of Thursday. Just not your day is it?" **

**Hope you enjoyed reading!**

**~ Eclipse**


	26. Our Unspoilt World: Before and After

**Chapter 26 – The Aftermath (Epilogue)**

"_We all knew it wasn't going to be over that easily. But we were all prepared to continue to fight. To fight for our future, for our world. Because living was too precious to give up so easily."_ Erika

* * *

><p><strong>[22:01AM] – 28<strong>**st**** May – Kanto – Pewter City Pokémon Centre**

**("And so just this once… everybody lived. And so… just this once we all got our happily ever after.**

**We deserved nothing less.")**

Nobody knew where Latias or Mewtwo vanished to, but they would appear in due course, friends to be welcomed back with open arms. Misty had her baby Pichu, her loyal Golduck and old friend – her Togekiss who had arrived at the moment of jubilation and success. Her Gyrados and Azurmarill were waiting back in Cerulean, along with the rest of her team, once sealed in their Pokéballs. Erika had Chikorita, and Lance had Dratini, his Dragonair and Dragonite flying through the skies above them.

The rockets had fled from Kanto with the death of their leader. Most escaped to Sinnoh, which seems to be the last team refugee region, but a few moved west into Johto. Bloodthirsty SECTION members under Karen and Bruno closed in within hours of hearing the news of time restarting. It is believed that Karen's exact words were "Well now the world is fixed we can get rid of those bloody bastards."

They all will be hunted out in due time, but now, this is a time to celebrate.

For the weary travellers had returned.

They would have said they returned home, but nowhere was really home anymore, what with the travelling and the war, so they settled for something even better.

The place where all their friends were…

Gary, Leaf, May, Brock and Dawn were hanging out around the Pokémon centre of Pewter City. The rock town was one of the first places claimed back, and they hung around nervously, mostly due to the lack of their Pokémon. Their Pokéballs resided on their belt, but some part of them was still wary to keep them there, lest they be trapped once more. It was also the lack of presence, the safety of having them close. Despite the Pokéballs now working, Umbreon, Ninetales, Ditto and Piplup were out and waiting for them.

Voiced drifted towards them from around the corner.

"I still don't understand why we couldn't teleport everywhere."

"Well apart from the fact that he's completely rubbish?"

"I managed to teleport Erika okay but the chances of a large group surviving with all limbs intact…"

"You managed to teleport Sabrina, Erika and I in Saffron!"

"Yeah, I did, didn't I? Well I wanted you to get to see the sights…"

"See the sights?"

"And because that dark gear at Indigo meant I couldn't get a link to teleport there."

"You managed to teleport out okay!"

"Yeah, well that was different!"

"Hey Lance; weren't you the one with the Dragonite?"

"Erika you were almost sick when you last rode on him."

"I… it's the thought…"

"Can you picture us all hanging onto that monster."

"No way..! I prefer walking! Sorry Lance."

They rounded the corner, red-head and raven side by side with a white Togekiss, a Chikorita and Pichu perched on its back. A Raichu and Vaporeon trotted off to one side, with a Lucario behind them walking with a Golduck. A taller red-head stood near the dark haired grass leader, who was staring at him apologetically.

"Dragonite is not a monster!" he was indignant, staring at a purple fox trotting along mischievously.

"Are you sure?" Zo teased, then spotting Lance's expression changed course. "Oh look! People!" and made a headline for them. "Hide me! Please!" she darted behind a bemused Umbreon.

"Hey look!" Dawn pointed. "It's that Shadow dude."

Brock face planted. "How many times… Dawn… have I told you that's Ash?"

The blunette shrugged. "I know, but Shadow just sounds so cool and dangerous!"

May threw herself at a tall spiky haired man as they came closer. "You're alive!" she cried, burying herself into his arms.

Ash blinked in surprise. "Yes, I am thank you for noticing." He glanced at the brunette, "So why is she all over Lance?" he asked no one in particular.

Misty hit him over the head.

"Ow." Ash winced, glancing back at Lance and May, eyes widening. "Oh come on, get a room." He snapped at his friend, who ignored him, currently intent on kissing May in a very romantic way.

"Eww," Zo whined. "What is it with everyone snogging each other?" she glared up at Gary and Leaf. "If you two even start…" she threatened.

"Aww," Leaf cooed in unison with Dawn. "So cute."

The pair in question drew apart, Lance looking slightly confused.

"Is that okay?" May asked, looking nervous.

"Yes." Lance blinked. "I… I… I mean I thought you liked Drew… and…"

"Oh Lance." May sighed, "You've never seen Drew and Harley together have you?"

Lance's jaw dropped open. Ash walked into a tree, forgetting to look where he was going.

May giggled. "Gee, you don't know when to take a joke, do you?"

Lance blinked again, "That was a joke? Actually, you know what, I don't care. But May, do you want to go on a date with me as soon as I find a decent venue."

May blushed slightly, "Uh… sure… I mean, yes, I'd love to."

Lance had this ridiculous smirk on his face. "Good."

Ash wandered over to the others. "He is so lovesick it's ridiculous. And slightly cute."

Gary shot Ash a look. "You never have been very good at the romancing have you?" the Viridian leader pulled Leaf closer. "And… wait … weren't you meant to be dead?" he frowned, glancing between Misty and Ash.

"I was." Ash scratched his head. "Don't try it; there's nothing all that special about, I don't know why people make such a fuss."

"Hey look!" Dawn interrupted, "There's the moon!"

"It's waning." Leaf noted, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "It was full before… wasn't it?"

"It's been full for five years." Ash admitted.

"That was one hell of a creepy Prophesy." Gary grumbled. "Even worse than the last one…"

"Oh, he does that." Zo shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"I still don't understand the bit about the sun dying though." Brock admitted, scratching his chin.

"What about it?"

"Well the sun didn't die at Indigo! It didn't even really set there!"

"Indigo is in the west of Kanto though isn't it? And it was the location of the battle when time stopped. The place where the sun died. I mean - at least it was sort of light and we weren't stuck at midnight or something. Johto was stuck at a dark stage and somehow Hoenn got the dusky pink skies. Sinnoh was quite dim as I recall - mostly night – but at least there were stars."

"And you stated the full moon. You specifically stated when the moon was full."

"It was full. It has been full for the past four years. That wasn't going to change."

"It's still a creepy prediction." Gary announced haughtily.

Ash scoffed, "Well if it helps - it was the psychic in me saying that. The sort of psychic Mew cross Chosen aura. In my opinion - bloody annoying."

The group laughed tension no longer present for the first time in years. Above them, the waning moon hung in the sky, the black darkness once more, alight with the dancing light of stars.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27 – Our Unspoilt World<strong>

"_We used to look back on it all and wonder what had happened. However did we get into this mess to start with? And how were we going to climb back out of this impossible hole we had dug ourselves into." _Dawn

* * *

><p><strong>("Where did it all start? What are you looking for Dawn? <strong>_**Me**_** to tell you a story…?" Ash leaned back in on the sofa, next to Misty. He was gazing around at the gang, all of whom were staring at him expectantly. "What have we just been doing for the past day or so?" He was trying to run away again, Lance realised mildly, by avoiding the issue and pretending it didn't happen. In that way he actually agreed with his girlfriend's plan. "It that not enough…?" Ash spread his hands out, eyes pleading.**

"**I did most of the talking." Erika reminded him, over from where she was playing on the floor with Meganium and Bulbasaur. She also had a small Cottonee, which was currently hiding behind her.**

"**We all contributed," Misty said, leaning against her boyfriend. "I think what Dawn wants…" she paused, glancing between the two coordinators. "Well what May wants, but is too shy to ask, is what happened to Ash between Mount Coronet and here."**

**Ash sighed. "The thing is." He said, "It doesn't even start there. It probably starts all the way back when I got stuck in Sinnoh."**

"**How do you get **_**stuck**_** in Sinnoh?" Lance blinked, bemused. Only **_**Ash**_** would manage something like that.**

"**Shut up." Ash snapped. "And that was only the first time as well. Second time getting out of the damn region was so much harder." He ignored Dawn's affronted look. "Yes," he directed to May, who had moved towards her computer and had started to type. "I got stuck in Sinnoh after the conference. Brock took the boat from Twinleaf Town, but I stayed around in Sunnyshore to spend time with my Gliscor. Then I missed the boat." He twitched at the amused looks he was getting. "Stop that! I know, I know. I was a moron, right? Rai, if you agree I'm going to set you up in a battle against Garchomp."**

**The orange mouse who had been nodding his head, stopped and pretended to look busy, giving the silver Eevee curled up next to him a nuzzle.**

**Va didn't look impressed, from where she was sitting next to Misty with Squall, the little Pichu, and Chu, the flower wearing Pikachu. Rai and Va had practically adopted Misty's little yellow mouse, and the now Pikachu acted as an older sibling to their two little ones.**

"**Don't look at me like that." Ash snapped at Brock, who was actually daydreaming about Nurse Joys, but it was disconcerting nonetheless. With a sigh he flopped back on the sofa, ignoring the triumphant look that Gary shot Dawn, and began to talk. "Okay, okay fine." He gave in, "If that's what you want to hear. You want to hear how I got stuck in Sinnoh, missed the boat, and trained a whole bunch…"**

"**Yes." May nodded, glued to her computer screen.**

**The aura guardian pulled a face. "Are you going to be transcribing this too?" he asked, with a sigh.**

**There was a nod from the brunette, who was already tapping merrily away in the background.**

"**So tell us." Gary teased. "Were you pining over a certain Cerulean gym leader the whole time?"**

"**I was not pining over Misty the whole time!" Ash snapped, but seeing the disbelieving looks he was getting reluctantly admitted, "Maybe part of the time?" he shrugged. "But then who wouldn't? She was my best friend who I hadn't seen for six years."**

"**You were sixteen and you still didn't know what love was." May clicked her tongue. "How sad..."**

"**Oh shut up." The elite growled. "I have to listen to your tales about Lance. There are some things May, which you should just not know about your best friend, and that was one of them."**

**The champion looked alarmed. "What?" he demanded. "May what did you tell him."**

**His girlfriend ignored him. "Nothing," She whistled, "I don't know what you're talking about."**

**Lance rounded on his friend. "Ash what did she tell you?"**

"**I'm not repeating that!" Ash looked alarmed. He changed the subject rapidly. "Anyway, May, tale, it started when I missed the boat from Sinnoh. It was those idiot Rocket fools' fault really, but at the end I was left in Sunnyshore, lost and without a clue what to do next."**

"**Can you get on with it?" Gary drawled, currently more interested in watching Leaf, who was watching her Jigglypuff draw.**

"**Do you want me to tell you this story or not?"**

* * *

><p><strong>[10:55AM] – 16<strong>**th**** February 2003 - Sinnoh – Sunnyshore City – North of the PKMN Centre – A Hill**

It had all started when he missed the boat.

It hadn't even been his fault, that those damn Rocket fools decided that it was a good time to once again snatch Pikachu. Ash had been heading to the Sunnyshore docks, packed and ready, having awoken early and on time. The boat from Sinnoh to Kanto was meant to leave at ten o'clock and he had been early, if anything.

Then the extravagant lilac, overdramatic magenta and talking cat had decided to enact their usual ploy to steal a certain yellow mouse. It was their usual vacuum machine, that burst out of the earth (Ash wasn't quite sure whether he was more impressed that they managed to dig a hole large enough to hide it, the fact they had somehow dug through concrete, or that they must have laid in wait for several hours for him to pass along). It was insulated, and Ash hated it when the rockets got clever, but he had no time to react, as they turned the suction on full force, pulling Pikachu off his shoulder and his Pokéballs from his belt.

In alarm he managed to grab one – he recognised it as his little dragons – but the others were lost, and Ash was left there with an errant Gible, a cloud of dust and a massive pit in the ground.

He found himself wishing Brock or somebody was with him, but then again, knowing the breeder, he'd be on the ship already using the excuse 'to check out the food' while actually sitting near the gang walk and eyeing up all the pretty girls that would board. Ash was beginning to realise how creepy a teenage Brock was, all hyped up on hormones, and he hoped he never got to that stage.

Now, almost an hour after the theft, he had chased them down in his usual, reckless style, in a race that may, or may not have involved helium, a helpful Altaria, some helium, conveniently tall buildings and the talking twat of a cat himself, Meowth, who was helpfully convinced into opening the release button when fish and a ball of wool was involved.

Ash was safely down on the ground, Pokémon in tow, and the screams of the idiots ringing in his ears. Pikachu was curled up in his arms, pushing himself close to his trainer.

He didn't need to visual confirmation, but it didn't stop him glancing out towards sea.

The boat to Kanto had left.

He wasn't on it.

His first instinct was to run to a phone and call his mom, Brock or maybe even Dawn, and try and find another route out, but he was tired from the chase, and instead, retreated to the hill behind the Pokémon Centre. It was the spot where Joy let out any Pokémon to run, play and feed. Ash had released his Pokémon, currently leaning against Torterra and Pikachu and Buizel chat away, with inaudible squeaks and chirps.

And for the first time, in a long while, he was completely at loss at what to do.

If he had made it back to Kanto, he knew his mother and Professor Oak were planning a vacation to Unova, a region to the far-east that he longed to go and see. He had been planning to go there and start a new journey, but those hopes were dashed.

Somehow he didn't even feel as disappointed as he expected, missing this opportunity. The new journeys, restarted over and over had begun to lose their flair, and never seemed to match the thrill and excitement that first one had held anyway.

What scared him the most now, sitting on that grassy hillside, was that he didn't know what he wanted to do now.

No target, no goals, for once he had stopped, finally, after so long search of something. He was here, with his Pokémon, lost and very, distinctively, alone.

Yet he enjoyed the general feeling of sitting around doing nothing, listening to Infernape and Gliscor spar, and Pikachu and Buizel talking.

Maybe he'd journey back to Twinleaf and visit Dawn for a bit.

Or… maybe hanging around Sunnyshore for a bit wouldn't be too bad.

"PikaPi?" his little yellow friend asked, hopping forward a few paces, from where he and Buizel were playing the dirt. "Pikachu PikaPi?"

"I wish I could understand you." Ash smiled at the pair. "So what do you want to do, huh? What now? We've done what I wanted to do, going around Sinnoh, competed the conference and came pretty close to the top as well…" he winced. His Pokémon had been brilliant, and they had been close, agonisingly close, but not close enough. Why was it that was always the case; so many Leagues now and never a win. So many Leagues and it seemed sometimes that he hadn't made any progress at all.

"KaChu Pikachu?"

Had he even improved at all, since beating Brandon? Maybe, after all, Pikachu had taken down a legendary eon dragon, and his Sceptile had taken down an unbeaten Darkrai. Maybe with just a little more training, they might reach that peak, become a little bit stronger. He could maybe spend some more time with Sceptile, and his others back at the ranch, teach them some new moves…

There were too many 'maybes'.

When did he ever sit down with his Pokémon and just train? He'd been running towards his goal for so long, and never stopping to think about how he was going to climb up to get there.

And here he was, wanted once more to drop everything and run off to a new region once again, leaving behind his teams… behind his _friends_. There were some Pokémon back in Kanto who had helped him save the world, and he had left them behind and forgotten about them. Why had he never bothered to switch his teams around?

Why had it never occurred to him before?

"Hey, Buizel…?" Ash glanced up at his two Pokémon who were currently bent over something. Distracted from his original thought, he frowned, "What have you two got there?"

"Pi_ka_chu!" his mouse announced proudly, moving aside to display a red and black Pokédex, fourth generation. Moving forwards, Ash glanced at the screen, which was currently displaying the data sheet of a Floatzel.

"What?" Ash stared at it, before glancing at the pair. Buizel puffed his chest out slightly, meeting his gaze squarely. "You want to evolve?"

He nodded, eyes pleading.

Ash felt a smile begin to creep over him. "I was going to ask whether you wanted to learn ice beam." he told the water weasel, "How about we do a mixture of both? Does that sound good?"

Buizel shook his head, grabbing the machine from his trainer and trying to select something. With a frustrated squeak Pikachu grabbed it, altering the screen and showing it to Ash – a list of all the moves Buizel could learn.

Ash blanched. "You want to learn _all those_?"

The sea weasel shrugged, as if he wasn't really bothered, and Pikachu shook his head, pointing with his paw to one entry.

"Ice fang?" Ash asked, "Oh, you mean instead of ice beam?"

Buizel nodded triumphantly, pumping a paw. "BuiBui?" he asked, as if slightly uncertain.

Ash grinned. "If that's what you want." He promised, about to head to the Pokémon Centre, planning on trying to find another Pokémon who could learn ice fang. Glalie could use ice beam… maybe he had some tips for Buizel. Ash paused, after a few steps, before spinning around to look at his other four Pokémon on the hill. Torterra was basking in the sun, occasionally having to move out of the way of the monkey's and sand scorpion's mock battle.

"Hey?" the raven haired trainer called up, "Guys!"

They paused, glancing down at me. "How do you feel like learning a new move or two?" he grinned up at them, and they considered it for a moment, before calling out cries of interest.

Well… three of them did, the fourth decided to last onto Ash's head.

After awkwardly removing Gible, Ash put his dragon and ground type on the floor, staring pensively at him. "I wonder what moves you can learn." He mused.

The yellow electric type, sick of his trainer's lack of knowledge, was dragging the Pokédex from where Ash had previously discarded it. Squeaking, he held up the machine, and watched happily as his PikaPi put the pieces together.

"Are you saying I should use my Pokédex to look up what moves they can learn?"

Pikachu nodded happily, tail thumping on the ground. Ash sighed, pulling of his cap and dumping it on the rodent's head, his ears flopping down as he squeaked happily. "Well we better get to work then."

* * *

><p><strong>("What do you mean you always wanted to learn dig and substitute?" Ash stared in horror at the mouse lazing on the rug. Nearby, Ninetales let out a snort, which could be interpreted as laughter. "You never showed <strong>_**any**_** inclination towards those moves what, so ever!"**

"**RaiAi Raichu!" (You're meant to know that sort of stuff!)**

"**Don't take that tone with me," Ash snapped, glaring back, "You never mentioned it before, ever. How am I supposed to know that if you don't tell me?"**

"**Uh, story please?" May finished typing a paragraph and glanced around. "Don't get distracted now!"**

**Ash winced. "Fine, fine, gee May, calm down. I'm talking, now!" After checking to make sure May wasn't getting annoyed, he continued. "That's when I started rotating my Pokémon around, while camping in Sunnyshore. I had two awkward phone calls, one to Brock to explain what happened, and another to my mom to explain why I wasn't going to be back. She told me that they could find an earlier boat than the one that left monthly from Sunnyshore, but I declined."**

"**Nothing much really happened." Ash told them, "Buizel learned ice fang, Infernape was taught close combat and Torterra was still working on learning earthquake. I think Pikachu was trying to learn it too, actually, although I'm not sure. Then one day, once **_**again**_**, Jessie and James pulled a crazy stunt. You know I should really thank them if I ever meet them again – they were a big help in the long run at redirecting my life.")**

* * *

><p><strong>[13:34PM] – 3<strong>**rd**** March 2003 - Sinnoh – Sunnyshore City**

Why were those damn rockets so persistent? They always failed, always ended up blasting into the sky and weren't seen again for the rest of the week, but still came back with more outlandish plans to steal his Pikachu. If they were so desperate for an electric rodent, why didn't they just wander to Viridian Forest and catch one for themselves and train it up?

Once again Ash was running after the trundling machine (where they got the money to buy these things he didn't know) with Totodile (he had swapped around, sending Buizel back along with Torterra, collecting an ecstatic Bayleef. Gible shot a dragon rage at them, and it made the water gun from Totodile steam slightly, twisting the metal but not breaking it. This time Team Idiot had been busy collecting other Pokémon, and not just his Pikachu, and Ash was on a mission to free them all.

Jessie turned around to laugh at his predicament, standing perched on their little platform that Ash knew was there only for them to recite their motto from. Whatever she had been about to say, Ash wasn't sure, for a tree branch hit her conveniently on the back of the head and knocked her tumbling out of the vehicle. With cries of alarm, James and Meowth jumped down to rescue her (if nothing else they were loyal) and in a hiss, her Wobbuffet materialised to help.

"Slash!" Ash called to his dragon, who obeyed, darting up towards the now stationary machine with a gleaming claw.

It bounced off, barely denting the metal.

Desperately he ordered Gible to try again.

Once more it bounced off, as if the door was made of rubber.

"Come on boy!" Ash cried, glancing to the side where Team Moron were still trying to clamber out of the ditch. "Slash - Full Power!"

"Gible!" the dragon clashed his jaws together, and shouting his own name, threw himself at the door in a blinding white light.

Blinded Ash shielded his eyes, looking away. When he turned back, Gible was no longer there, instead replaced by a taller, two legged dragon. He was dark blue in colour, long scythes curling down from his lethal clawed arms.

Gabite let out a triumphant growl, scythe glowing white as he slashed at the metal door, tearing it to shreds. Trying to hide his triumphant grin and failing Ash hastened into rescuing Pikachu.

As he suspected, his yellow mouse was not the only occupant of the pen. A small Vulpix with a pink and white ribbon on her ear was huddled behind him, and a Kirlia had its hands pressed against the glass.

Gabite made quick work of the metal hinges, and the side of the glass pen fell away, Pikachu leaping into his trainer's arms and the other Pokémon swirling around his legs.

Ash made a quick getaway, ignoring the three squabbling in the ditch, in a cat fight about noodles, and headed straight towards Sunnyshore Pokémon Centre, to reunite the Vulpix with its family, and try and look for the psychic type's trainer.

That wasn't so simple.

Nobody came forward to claim him, and the Nurse told the teen that nobody had checked in with a Kirlia since sometime last month, and it hadn't been reported missing. Ash sighed, sitting on a seat at the Centre, looking at the little green and white Pokémon eating. "So who do you belong to then?" he asked, nobody in particular, but to his surprise, the psychic cocked its head, glancing up at him.

"_I don't belong to anybody. I am a wild Pokémon." _The decidedly male telepathic voice responded.

Ash blinked in surprise, almost falling off his chair in alarm. "You're a telepath?" he asked, pointing out the obvious. "Wait… wild?" he repeated.

"_My name is Tristan._" The small Pokémon introduced himself_ "I was born to a wild Lucario and Gardevoir. My father taught me how to use telepathy while my mother tried to teach me aura. She said I didn't have the right aptitude for it though."_

Ash resisted the urge to hit his head on something. He was hearing that term increasingly frequently. Why did it always come back to that stuff?

As if sensing his thoughts, which knowing telepaths he probably was, the Kirlia spoke up. _"Your aura is strong,"_ Tristan observed, _"Though untrained."_

Ash sighed. "Yeah, I've been told that before." He admitted, scratching his head nervously. "I'm a Pokémon trainer though. I want to…" He stopped. He wanted to what… be a Pokémon master? A master who left his Pokémon behind while running off on another adventure? A master who didn't even know when his own Pokémon wanted to evolve? "Travel." He finished lamely. "Just travel. Didn't have time to stop and learn."

The Kirlia looked at me curiously. _"A trainer?" _he asked. "_You help Pokémon to become stronger?"_

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded happily, "Ka PikaChu Pika Chu Pika Chu."

Kirlia was now shooting alternate glances between the raven-haired teen and Pikachu. "What did he say?" Ash asked, finally, unable to catch much more that the emphatic "Yes!" and "But he … forget …"

_"He said you seemed to forget sometimes."_

That stung, that really did, and Ash flinched slightly. His Pokémon were his life and soul. When had he ever forgotten about them, and not put them above himself?

_"Not like that."_ Kirlia cut off his internal angst. _"He meant you always saw the bigger picture, the final goal, and never really considered the steps in between, and you're struggling to climb the high steps you've set for yourself."_

Ash stared. "He said all that?"

The psychic type winced. _"Well he probably didn't put it quite as eloquently as that. It was something like 'forgot about goals.' I put it a bit clearer. Blame it on my sister; she used to like poetry until she was captured by a coordinator."_

The way Tristan said it, made it sound like she was dead. Was being captured by trainers really that bad? "I'm sorry." He said, not knowing what else to say.

_"Don't be."_ Tristan blinked, _"She loves her trainer, and is now an elegant and beautiful Gardevoir. We accept our trainers, as it has always been, since the Bulbasaur first bowed its head to its first human."_

"Oh." Ash blinked, still not sure what to say. "Then you're free to leave, whenever you want." In the background he noted Pikachu hitting himself with his paw, and hastened to add, "Or you're welcome to come along with us."

Tristan perked up. _"You would want me? You would help me train and become stronger? I…"_ he stopped, unsure.

"Go on." Ash encouraged the sky Kirlia.

He looked up. _"I always dreamed of becoming a Gallade."_ He admitted, _"But father said it was silly. He said Dawn Stones were rare, and I should be happy to evolve into a Gardevoir, like him."_

"I'll help you become stronger." Ash promised. "And look for a Dawn Stone for you. I can't guarantee I'll always know what to do… hell this past week is the first time I've spent, solely focussing on training Pokémon, and not trying to battle somebody or help out some random stranger's problems. But I promise, all of you," he added, for the benefit of Gabite, Pikachu and Totodile who were crowded around him, "That I'll do my best."

* * *

><p><strong>(Ash smiled. "From that moment on Kirlia joined my team."<strong>

"**He's your Gallade!" Max looked on with adoring eyes which made Ash sift uneasily. The younger boy's own Kirlia was blinking wide eyed at him.**

**Ash nodded, turning instead to Misty. "I brought the issue of a Dawn Stone to Volkner at the gym," he told his girlfriend, who nodded, having heard this before, "He said he could arrange it for me." He glanced towards the others. "I offered to pay, but he insisted that I didn't since I motivated into battling again and all. He said another battle would be payment enough, and so I agreed."**

**Lance looked interested. "You never told me you battled Volkner again." He said.**

"**Lance, I don't tell you every little detail of my life." Ash rolled his eyes. "But yeah, I spent some time hanging around with him. He's only a year older than me, did you know that?"**

**The red-head nodded. "Didn't he give you your Tynamo…?"**

"**Yes." Ash interrupted. "But I'll get there. Give me a chance!"**

* * *

><p><strong>[17:04PM] – 7<strong>**rd**** March 2003 - Sinnoh – Sunnyshore City**

Ash was once again training his Pokémon, trying to decide what Pokémon to use against his upcoming match against Volkner. It was an informal thing, and nothing important hung upon the upcoming battle, but he still wanted to do his best.

Pikachu, surprisingly, was not in, and had decided to sit out. His much hated Pokéball was actually with Professor Oak, even if he remained with Ash. His other six Pokémon around him included his new Kirlia, Heracross, Buizel, Sceptile, Pidgeot and Charizard.

The last two were a surprise. He had phoned Professor Oak to switch over his team at some point earlier that week, and been surprised to find an orange dragon had taken up residence at the ranch. Apparently he had gotten tired of his mate (and kids apparently) and had actually been visiting Bulbasaur and his other friends that he knew from his journey with Ash through Kanto and Orange.

The fire drake had jumped at the chance to battle again with Ash, and had been sent over immediately.

Pidgeot though, was the odd one. Apparently Swellow had been flying up to Viridian and back, racing my Noctowl and they had quite literally flown into each other. Talk about a twist of fate, but when Professor Oak had admitted to having Ash's first flying type, the raven-haired trainer immediately agreed to spend some time with his old Pokémon, who was extremely strong from defending her flock all these years.

But his mother was expecting him back in a week or so, and Ash wasn't sure that he was ready yet, to leave Sinnoh.

He still didn't yet know what he wanted to do next.

* * *

><p><strong>[08:53AM] – 11<strong>**th**** March 2003 - Sinnoh – Sunnyshore City – Sunnyshore Gym**

"You're leaving after our battle?" Volkner asked, palming a red and white sphere.

Standing the other side of the battlefield, Ash nodded. "I'm planning on it." Pikachu was sitting in the stands, chirping happily, cheering his trainer for his upcoming battle. "Well, not immediately." He corrected himself. "The boat leaves in a couple of days to Kanto but…" he paused, "I don't think I'm going on it." He admitted

"Where are you going then?" Volkner asked curiously.

"I'll stick around Sinnoh." Ash said, "Maybe go and visit my friend in Twinleaf Town, if she's still here. She was planning to go to Hoenn. But honesty I don't know." It was the stark truth.

The electric type gym leader looked across at his opponent. "Well whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck." He smiled. "You're a brilliant trainer you know."

Ash tossed a Pokéball into the air, and caught it again. "Thanks." He said, smiling. "But for now, let's battle."

On mutual agreement, the pair threw their chosen towards the field. A Buizel erupted out of the red light, facing off against an orange Raichu.

The battle began.

* * *

><p><strong>(Ash paused and the gang looked at him expectantly. "No." he snapped. "I'm not going to describe it for you." he glared at them. "If you lot are that curious, then you can look it up in the old battle files."<strong>

"**They got deleted." Lance reminded him.**

"**Then I'll tell you another time." Ash snapped. "It was six on six. It was my Buizel, Pidgeot, Kirlia, Heracross, Sceptile and Charizard, against his Electivire, Luxray, Raichu, Ambipom, Octillary, and a Unova-native Galvantula. Yeah, the last one was a surprise." Ash admitted to the gang. "Buizel got a power boost by evolving (much to his joy) into a Floatzel, but was still knocked out by a thunder from that thing. It was nasty, but Kirlia managed to take it down eventually."**

"**Did you win?" May asked him eagerly.**

**Misty loved the smug look that Ash got on his face. "Not telling." He told them. "I did get the Dawn Stone though for Kirlia, along with an egg."**

"**What kind?" Brock leaned forwards, his interest captivated.**

**Ash laughed. "I'll get there." He waved the breeder off. "Patience." He mocked his friend. "It was white with a light yellow patterning, and I asked him what kind it was, but he said he didn't know. Volkner told me he didn't have the time to care for it, and even if he did he was terrible at raising them anyway. Apparently he used to have a Buneary egg but Flint stole it and raised it instead."**

"**That's why the fire elite owns that Lopunny." Lance blinked. "Make sense."**

"**It does know fire punch." Ash reminded him. "The same way even my Sceptile can use flash to blind his opponents and while still maintaining the current and using an electrified leaf blade attack."**

**Lance frowned. "But grass doesn't conduct." He complained.**

**Ash shrugged. "I've just learned to accept it by now." He told the puzzled champion. "At the end Tristan got his Dawn Stone, and Volkner gave me an egg."**

"**But who won!" Dawn protested, from where she was sitting, perched on the table next to where Leaf's Jigglypuff was drawing. "Tell us! Come on." She whined.**

"**Does it really matter?" Ash shrugged. "I'm not going to tell you. I'll leave it up to your imagination." He smirked.**

**Misty hit him lightly on the chest. "Don't tease her." She chided the aura guardian. The raven haired man laughed, and she rolled her eyes. "You probably lost." She taunted him. He'd told her what happened, but it didn't mean she couldn't play along with him, if only to see Dawn and May's curious expression and even Lance was looking slightly annoyed.**

"**It does not mean I lost!" Ash snapped, slightly protective. "It's just because you lose when you battle against me."**

"**Your element is strong against mine!" Misty protested. "Togekiss took down Ter and Amps before that monstrous Lux took her down."**

"**That's because Togekiss was hyped up on Ancient Power, her Serene Grace ability increasing her stats!"**

"**You just don't want to admit that a single Togekiss was stronger than a third of your team." Misty smirked at Ash.**

"**Not true!" The aura guardian snapped. "Lux took her down with a single spark! And your Quagsire no matter how much you tried to play the ground moves!"**

"**Uh, guys?" Leaf glanced up at the bickering pair. "Can you get on with your story Ash?"**

"**She started it!" the aura guardian snapped, childishly, before seeing May's impatient look, and hastened to continue. "Sorry Misty." He appeased his girlfriend. "But I'm ignoring you now, just for the record…")**

* * *

><p><strong>[11:33AM] – 11<strong>**th**** March 2003 - Sinnoh – Sunnyshore City**

Ash wasn't a bad trainer.

He wasn't anywhere near the top ranking elites though.

If he had to rank himself, in the echelon, then he was just above the level of the eighth gym. Pikachu and Charizard could take on legendries, but the rest… well let's just say they weren't quite there yet. For much of his Kanto and Orange journey he had remained on par with the lower gyms, inexperienced, stumbling in blindly making the same mistakes over and over.

Now though, he seemed too emerged from any bubble he had been hiding in, and was working his way up, from the gym ranks, to the ace, the ranks of the elites and champions still high above.

The champion was the unbeatable.

Later of course he learned this wasn't true; he beat Lance often enough, and the dragon tamer in turn, would beat him, after working out Ash's battling flaws (mostly letting his Pokémon do it themselves and not providing any extra information for them) and teaching his Salamence earthquake.

He realised at some point during his stay in Sunnyshore that the rank of master he had made his goal, was more of an illusion than a physical reality that might be achieved. And in his mind, he already qualified, by having a team of amazing Pokémon who were friends, first and foremost, and battlers afterwards.

That was more precious than anything.

The idea of a permanent job with monetary income was beginning to look appealing though.

He never realised it before, but sometime between Sunnyshore and Mount Coronet, his dream of a Pokémon Master dissolved. By the time he realised it, there was nothing to grieve for, but that was the day a dream died and a reality was born.

He'd never before seen the difference.

* * *

><p><strong>("I hung around Coronet for a while then, training mostly." Ash told them.<strong>

**Leaf blinked. "Who would want to hang around there?"**

**Ash winced. "Okay, okay, I got lost on the mountain, but only because I was following Rai." He muttered something that sounded like 'no sense of direction' before continuing. "There was a heavy snowfall and I found a system of caves to shelter in, and train up. I caught a Shinx… well…" he winced. "The Shinx kept insisting we battle even once Gabite knocked him down. He got so insistent that he tried to steal my bag, to force me to battle to get it back, and a spare Pokéball rolled out and he got captured."**

"**Wait…" Lance frowned. "That's your monstrous Luxray isn't it? The cat that is **_**lethal**_** on the field?"**

**The aura guardian gave a weak nod. "Gallade told me he got kicked out of the pack for 'one too many brawls'. It didn't take him long either to evolve all the way up to a Luxray, and he was so happy he somehow managed to electrocute Gabite."**

**Brock frowned. "But Gabite it a **_**ground**_** type…"**

**Ash shrugged. "Try telling him that."**

"**What about the egg?" the squint eyed man asked.**

**Ash chuckled. "Trust you to think about the egg Brock. You're still a breeder at heart, aren't you? It hatched into a Tynamo, which is a Pokémon from Unova. It was an electric type, which explains why Volkner had it, but he let me keep it. He'd just been given a Magnemite and Electrode by his girlfriend Jasmine, the Olivine gym leader who was in Sinnoh doing a contest round."**

**Seeing Brock's heartbroken expression Ash hastily changed the subject.**

"**I caught a Lanturn then too, bringing my electric types to four."**

"**Do you mean Ter?" Misty asked, "That sweet thing that taught my Chinchou all those crazy ways to manipulate water?"**

**The elite nodded. "He was found by Floatzel one day, frozen in ice. Quilava had to evolve to a Typhlosion in order to melt him out, and I nursed him back to health."**

"**Pokémon have a tendency to evolve around you I've noticed." Misty commented. "Do you remember that Ponyta which evolved into a Rapidash while you were racing on it?"**

**Ash winced. "Yeah," he nodded. "And that little mushroom that we had to help evolve."**

"**At least…" Misty reassured him. "Lux still listened to you afterwards, unlike Charizard who evolved simply to battle those Aerodactyl and then ignored you."**

**The aura guardian shivered. "Please don't mention those damn fossils to me." He muttered. "I hate them." He glanced at Lance apologetically. "I'm sorry." He said. "But they still give me nightmares. Not yours though!" he was just digging himself into a hole here. "Your Aerodactyl is nice! We ran into these wild fossils and Shard will tell you… they were going to eat us!"**

**Gary, Leaf, Max, May, Lance and Dawn looked sceptical, but Brock and Misty nodded in agreement.**

"**They were!" Brock insisted. "That's why I don't own one of those things, even though we have fossils in the museum!"**

"**Can we just get on with the story?" May sighed, leaning back in her swivel chair.**

**Ash nodded, happily changing the subject. "Well Tristan got his Dawn Stone and evolved into a Gallade. He made good friends with Sceptile. Totodile… well his evolution was just **_**weird**_**…" the elite pulled a face. "He was just dancing, and randomly started to glow. I thought he was ill until he began changing shape. Then I find myself owning a slightly bigger alligator and he's still dancing like crazy." He added, "Made good friends with my Tynamo though."**

"**Are you telling me your Pokémon are weird?" Lance interrupted. "Because we knew that already…" He gestured to where Zo had fallen asleep on another sofa, her back resting on the pillow, and her head hanging over the side upside down. She was snoring softly, and Luca had crept away some time ago to find some dignified company among May's Ninetales and Glaceon.**

"**Oh shut up."**

* * *

><p><em><strong>June 2013 – So Monday huh? Hi guys... So much for that Thursday posting schedule... which sucks because I like Thursdays... I just kind of got lost in the Supernatural fandom for a while. But it's all good! I made it out, after watching 170 odd episodes in two months! Time successfully wasted :) Now on with rounding up this tale.<strong>_

_**This is my first chapter of the prequels combined with the epilogue which used to be longer, but I cut stuff out because it rounded things off a little too easily for my liking. Nothing really happens, but Ash is beginning to rethink his training methods, trying to tell the story while arguing with the gang who are being very persistent. It's an odd style, with May literally writing it as it is told, because someone mentioned to me that the date and time made it kind of like a log, or diary. Thanks for the suggestion whoever that was! Have a cookie and plushie Va (who cannot, under any circumstances, turn into a fairy type. Nuh uh, not happening atm. This story is totally Gen 5 compliant even if its largely Gen 4 based. So no fairies!).**_

_**Hope you enjoy. The next chapter involves how Ash became an aura guardian, which is probably what most people want to hear about anyway, and not the character development chapter which actually explains Ash's training improvements. Ah well… Thank you for all the amazing reviews. I'll admit I was on a happiness high after seeing them go over a hundred and then they kept coming. You guys are brilliant!**_

_**~ Eclipse**_


	27. Emanation

**Chapter 28 – Emanation**

"_Ash was the only other person I had met who had the potential to use aura, and I didn't care if I had to stalk him around Sinnoh, but I was not going to let him walk away from it again!"  
>"You sound like such a creep Riley."<br>"But you still love me!"  
>"Unfortunately…" <em>Riley and Cynthia

* * *

><p><strong>[12:20PM] – 14<strong>**th**** June 2003 - ****Sinnoh – Mount Coronet – North Eastern Pass**

Ash's peace at Mount Coronet was interrupted by some measly common Pokémon bandits, trying to smuggle stolen goods through the mountain pass. He was training among the rocky passes, trying to work out how electrocute rocks, when Luxray caught their scent, and the battle hungry Luxray practically threw himself on them, with his trainer chasing after him.

"Lucario use bone rush!"

It was on sheer instinct and a sixth sense (Ash had a niggling feeling that it was because of the Lucario but he wasn't sure) Ash ducked under the blue staff, skidding in the gravel. He cursed as he watched Lux's tail vanish out of sight, heading towards a cave where he would no doubt trap them.

"What the hell?" Ash glanced around frantically for his attacker, no Lucario in sight. "Pikachu use iron tail!"

The yellow mouse leapt upwards, tail spinning silver.

"Aura sphere!"

The blue sphere collided with Rai, sending him crashing to the ground with a weak 'chu'.

"Aura sphere again and then metal claw!"

"Gallade use Protect!"

The blue spheres hit the shimmering golden shield as Ash glanced around wildly, eyes finally resting on the blue and black jackal who was charging towards them, claws extended in a metal claw.

"_No!_ Lucario! Not them!"

The jackal skidded to a halt, red eyes flaring in confusion as his trainer skidded into view, panting heavily, attack called off. Gallade still maintained the protect barrier, spinning his blade warily.

Ash frowned in confusion at the man, with that stupid blue hat which looked all too familiar. "Riley?" he asked, motioning to Tristan to let the barrier drop. The Gallade obeyed, still spinning his scythe nervously.

"Ash..?" Riley took a step forwards. "Gee – I'm sorry…" he winced slightly. "We were after the thieves…"

"Yeah..?" Ash asked, "Me too. Well… my Luxray was." He shot a wary glance towards the aura Pokémon before continuing. "No need to worry – Lux and Tyr are going to end up trapping them in the cave just ahead." On that thought he glanced towards the direction of the cave to where static was beginning to crackle in the sky. Dread filled him. "Uh, how about I'll see you in a bit... I've got to check that Lux isn't killing anybody!" he waved a goodbye before turning and sprinting off, Pikachu at his heels.

Gallade sighed. "Not more running." the psychic complained, before his form flickered and he teleported after his errant trainer.

Riley glanced curiously at his Lucario. "We should probably go and see what the problem is." The jackal was still looking slightly guilty at mistaking Ash for the bandits. The aura guardian and his partner arrived in the cave, slowing to a halt and taking in the dim lighting, the phosphorescent glow and dripping rock pools. He instantly zoned in on the crackling electricity, and the sight of Ash, fishing an electrocuted Feebas from a pool.

"Ash..?" Riley asked cautiously. "Where are the bandits?"

The teen glanced up, "Lux and Trist cornered them over there. They're paralyzed and psychically bound up – not going anywhere any time soon." He winced as static danced across the water and up his arm. "My Luxray was a bit over enthusiastic in dealing with them."

Anther static spark and a flash of red, as Ash captured the small Feebas in a little white premier ball. Riley took a step forwards to survey the bandits, and was alarmed when the dark floor in front of him moved, coming alive in a torrent of flames and gold eyes.

"Tyr!" Ash snapped. "Down boy." He chided the Typhlosion, who had half reared up, but on his trainer's command had dropped back down on all fours to slink out of the way, towards where Pikachu was sitting.

After making sure the bandits were safely secured and dealt with, and their loot robbed off them, Riley moved back to where Ash was brushing off his hands.

"I thought you were competing in the Sinnoh League?" Riley asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I did that." Ash stood, sounding unusually cheerful. "Came in the top four... I missed the boat back to Kanto and decided to stay and train a bit…" he trailed off as his Luxray stalked up. "If you can't behave yourself I'm going to return you." he threatened the cat. "I… I should probably give Jenny a call to come and arrest them. Give me a moment…" he scrambled for his phone, talking as he did. "She gave me her number when she realised I was training here."

"Don't bother." Riley said, walking over, his Lucario at his heels. "I've already phoned her. The bandits… they're why I'm here actually."

"Oh?" Ash stopped, raising an eyebrow. "So she wasn't kidding when she said this was a popular smuggling route? I mean…" Ash eyed the newcomers. "Calling in the guardians… then again this is only the _fourth_ group I've encountered since I've been here…"

"How long have you been here?" Riley asked. "And what happened to the other groups?"

"About three months?" Ash paused, and Pikachu nodded in agreement. "And with the other groups I beat their Pokémon and they ran away dropping loads of cash. I heard one of them scream about whiting out – can you white out? I thought it was black out? Oh well. So this time I just set Luxray on them and let them have it." Ash perched on a large rock, letting Pikachu leap up into his lap. "You here on guardian business?" he ventured, as the pair settled into waiting for Jenny to arrive.

"How did you guess?"

"Well the Lucario…" Ash gestured to the dark haired man with his funny blue jacket, dark trousers and jaunty hat. Once again it struck him how much Riley looked like Sir Aaron., "And the whole appearing randomly on Mount Coronet and mistaking me for a bandit."

The man winced. "Yeah… sorry about that..."

Ash shrugged it off. "No sweat – at least you didn't hit me – my Pokémon have better reactions than before."

"You still train?" Riley looked curiously towards the Luxray and Gallade. The teen nodded in response.

"And you?" Ash asked.

He nodded, and after affirming that the bandits weren't going anywhere paralysed and psychically trussed up with a battle hungry Luxray and fearsome Gallade guarding them he perched on a nearby rock. "Steel types mostly." He admitted, "Well… I only have the two… Metagross and Lucario... I also have an Absol, Salamence and Ursaring."

The dark haired teen visibly blanched. "That's a nasty team." He winced, impressed. "Wouldn't want to face those in battle… Do you prefer steel types them… training on Iron Island and all?"

He nodded, adjusting his hat so it wouldn't fall off. His Lucario had perched on the floor, and Pikachu had leapt from his trainer's lap to bound over and say hi. Typhlosion too, recently evolved and slightly clumsy, hopped over to greet the aura Pokémon. "I prefer steel types. Byron asked me once to be a gym leader but I refused and suggested his son was a better choice. I also wanted to continue my training to be an aura guardian."

Ash smiled, "Well you seem to be doing okay for yourself. Saving the world from criminals and the like…"

"I'm trying to balance being a trainer and a guardian." Riley told the teen. "It's hard, but worthwhile."

Ash mused over that. He'd always just stuck to the trainer side of things, and not considered that he could do both.

"And you?" Riley asked, "What have you been up to since Iron Island? You seem quite settled here."

"I guess so. I completed the league and then missed the boat back to Kanto, so I decided to stick around and train electrics mostly." I realised with surprise. "I mean… I've always had Pikachu… but I now have Lux over there, an eccentric Tynamo and a Lanturn."

The two humans sat in the dim cave, filled with stalactites and stalactites, pools full of lurking Pokémon, their Pokémon teams spread out, quiet repetitions of their names in the background of the two dark haired men's chatter.

"You're still a trainer then? Aiming for that Pokémon mastery?" the aura guardian's tone had grown teasing, and Ash let his head fall into his hands.

"Don't. Since I'm not running around after gym badges I'm actually taking the time to reconnect with some older Pokémon. Although…" Ash paused, "Shard was a little pissed to see me again. Flamethrower to the face, as always." He winced slightly.

"Can't persuade you to switch to guardian can I?"

"You didn't really try last time," Ash laughed, "But you can give it a go since I don't have a clue what I want to do anymore."

"PikaPikaPi ChuKaa!" the electric mouse chirped.

Ash frowned at his starter Pokémon. "Repeat that again." Ash instructed. "I caught my name and 'finally' but not the rest."

"You can understand him?"

Ash glanced up at Riley, who seemed surprised. Shaking his head, he said, "No, not really. I'm just learning the language slowly. Gallade usually translates or…" he paused as Pikachu began his usual charade. "Pikachu acts it out for me. Wait? What do you mean I finally grew up?" his tone was indignantly as the electric mouse finally finished miming a change of height.

"KaChu!" he squeaked cheekily.

From where Typhlosion was curled up by Lucario he made a noise of agreement.

"What do you mean you _agree_? Stop ganging up on me!"

Riley laughed. "You seem pretty settled here. The months of isolation aren't catching up on you? Nice Typhlosion by the way."

The Pokémon in question puffed up with pride, dark blue fur contrasting with the soft cream belly, and his flaming back now reduced to slight glowing embers. "Thanks," I answered for him. "I've been reconnecting with some of my older Pokémon. It means a lot of trips into Celestic on Pidgeot or Charizard. Swellow is getting to the size where I can ride him too now. I switch my team around regularly. I've got Pidgeot and Sceptile with me as well."

The aura guardian choked slightly. "And you thought my team was impressive? You have a Charizard?"

Ash shuddered slightly. "It's more trouble than it's worth." He assured Riley. "Trust me."

"Can I see?"

He considered it for a moment. "If you let yours out as well… It's not like there isn't space or anything, and I camp out in another cave, other side of the valley, so it's not as if they're going to burn down my equipment like a certain orange drake I know."

In flashing red beams of light, a white furred Absol, large and formidable Salamence, hovering Metagross and roaring Ursaring. Ash had been right; they made a scarily strong team. The trainer slid down, holding out a hand to greet the dark type who had stalked over, eying him warily.

"Sol?" the disaster Pokémon inquired.

Ash glanced automatically to Pikachu for a translation, surprised when Riley gave it instead.

"He can sense your aura," the guardian said. "I can to for that matter; it's like a burning flame."

"I'll give you burning flame," Ash mumbled, releasing Sceptile, Pidgeot and Charizard, the latter of whom tried to greet him with his usual ember, but his trainer ducked out of the way. Riley chuckled, but when the blue eyed lizard turned his attention towards him instead, he stopped. "Meet Shard, Spectre and Cia." he paused after saying that, "You know I never used to nickname," he added, almost as an afterthought, "But it's just a habit I seem to have gotten in after meeting Tristan. My Gallade." He added for Riley's benefit.

Riley thought it over. "Well I suppose it would be like calling each other human. Pokémon have names too." He gestured to the Salamence, "Maia," he told Ash, "The Absol is Duke, Metagross is Terra, Ursaring is Io and Lucario is Aaron."

"Like… Sir Aaron?" Ash asked, smiling at the blue and black jackal.

"Scep?" the green gecko paused in chewing his twig. "Tile?"

"PikaChu!" the mouse added for his trainer's benefit. "KaChu…"

"It's okay Rai, I caught that," Ash interrupted his mouse. "Yes, that was when we visited Rota."

"You've been to Rota?" Riley looked slightly envious.

Ash nodded. "We're been to the palace for a battle tournament. Obviously." He rolled his eyes slightly at the way every place they had been was linked to battles or with contests. "The usual save-the-world crisis occurs and we had to team up with Lucario to help Mew at the Tree of Beginning."

"You… you've seen Mew?" the guardian was awestruck. "Wow."

Ash seemed to miss this, instead focussing on something which had been bothering him. "That symbol." He gestured to the necklet the guardian wore. "I've seen it before… on a pair of gloves worn by Sir Aaron and I think it's on Groundon's hands too."

Riley swallowed. "You've been close enough to Groundon to see the symbols on its arms?" he asked, in disbelief.

"Well it's actually a pretty big Pokémon – kinda' hard to miss." The dark haired man stared at the teen in awe and he shifted uncomfortably. "Is there any significance?" he asked again.

The guardian shook his head. "Coincidence?" he deviated. "The art of aura originated north of Kanto, in the Rota region actually, which is why I want to go there. It spread to Hoenn and Sinnoh first and foremost, and the art must have picked up some influences from the various creations myths. Hoenn has the elemental creation tale… if I've got it right… while Sinnoh in famous for this very peak where the Original One birth the deities of time and space."

"And dimension." Ash added, not really thinking.

"You've met Giratina?"

On the floor Pikachu snorted. "KaCHu PikaPika PikaPIKa PiChiChuKa!"

"Hey, that's not true!" Ash protested. "I've never really met a Raikou… that stuff in Crown City doesn't count. And I've never been to Unova…"

"Ash." Riley began grey eyes wide, "Are you telling me you've met every single legendary Pokémon and helped them in some way, or had them help you."

The teen scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well when you put it like that…"

"You mentioned Sir Aaron earlier. How the hell do you know what his gloves look like?"

Pikachu, clearly overjoyed that Riley understood him, began to dictate the tale to the shocked aura guardian and his Lucario companion. Ash let his head rest in his palms, eyes closing wearily. "It's… not a grand as it seems…" he protested weakly, watching some of the charades that Pikachu seemed to fall naturally into for his trainer's benefit.

"And you still refuse to learn how to use aura?" the steel type trainer asked, when the yellow mouse finally fell down in exhaustion from his tale. "Even when Sir Aaron… this is _Sir Aaron_, the singularly most famous aura guardian _ever_, who founded the Order and died to protect his kingdom… his Lucario, apprentice and companion… mistook you, for him, because your aura is practically identical… and you don't even want to know how to use it."

Ash was saved, at that moment, by the barking of a Growlithe as Officer Jenny finally arrived, her large Skarmory tucking in the blade-like flight feathers against its body.

"Now where are these bandits?" the teal haired officer brushed off her hands, her fire type wagging its tail at her heels.

* * *

><p><strong>("I'll admit that I don't remember the next bit too well. It's one of those blank sections which vanished and never came back." Ash paused for a bit, frowning, before glancing up at the bandana wearing girl at her computer. "I suppose also… that's why I wanted this all written down May… so in case I forget I have something which remembers for me."<strong>

**There was silence as he continued. "I don't want to forget our journey, our struggle; the people we've met and the places we've been. The stuff that happened doesn't deserve to be forgotten. It's a part of yourself, memories, and if you lose them… you lose yourself." Rai chirped in agreement, eyes sad. "I don't want to lose me." Ash frowned, not sure about the grammatical sense of the sentence and adding, "I don't want you to lose me again."**

**Misty latched onto his arm and gave his a quick kiss to his cheek. "Stay with us then." She smiled weakly at him. "Promise me?"**

"**Always..."**

**Ash glanced at the group. "Riley had warned me that our conversation wasn't over, and we must have continued it, but I don't recall it. I think though that I left Coronet, and began travelling with him around Sinnoh. My next memory which isn't a blur of images and sounds is him, dragging me behind him with the insistence that we were 'Training. Now,' I must have followed along, half curious, half reluctant, with Rai laughing his head off… you would have, don't deny it…" Ash snapped at the miffed orange mouse. "I don't think you recall things any better than you do!"**

"**RaiAi! ChuRaichuRai!" (I do! I remember being knocked out by that Absol!)**

**Ash paused, frowning at the faint images he could barely remember. "That's right." He said slowly. "He agreed to train me in aura provided that I gave him some battling tips. After one look at his terrifying Salamence and Absol I stated he didn't need any, but then he pointed out the difference between Charizard and Sceptile to his Ursaring and Metagross. Personally I couldn't see it, but I guess I must have agreed."**

"**What is aura?" Dawn frowned. "I mean, I know it's the attack that Togekiss uses and I think those fighting types from Unova can use it too, but you and Brock kept avoiding the issue when I asked you in Sinnoh."**

"**What **_**is **_**aura?" Ash laughed. "Gee Dawn, you sure pick the hard questions, don't you. Never mind." He waved it off, beginning to explain. "Aura is a form of energy that all humans and Pokémon emit, in waves that can be sensed, just like sound. Because it is just like sound, it can be disrupted by cutting into airspace."**

**Luca nodded in agreement. **_**"I had some trouble once with these roughnecks, attacking my home oasis in Orre with Mothim that kept using air slash. It disrupted the aura in the air, making it hard to locate anything using it."**_** The gang blinked at him, although whether it was because he had spoken and broken his silence, or that he had actually spoke to them in a language they could comprehend… it was debatable. "**_**What?"**_** he frowned, "**_**So I'm a telepath, but it doesn't mean I have to broadcast it?"**_** He shifted uneasily**

"**Right," Ash brought them back to focus on him, as opposed to his black Lucario. "Aura is the energy that every living thing, animate or inanimate contains, although obviously living organisms hold more than non-living. Aura defines itself into different forms, creating the various elements. Normal types have a completely neutral aura, while fighting types use aura to strengthen their bodies and minds. Some Pokémon, like Lucario and that Unova one Dawn mentioned, can naturally sense aura, and can use it to read minds, actions, see the 'sound' of the aura around them, or track a specific aura of a person, provided we know what we're tracking. In a few rare cases, humans can do this."**

**He gestured to himself.**

"**And Riley is the only other guardian that you know of?" Max asked wide eyed. "That's wicked!"**

**Ash shrugged. "They'll always be one or two a decade, although Sabrina would probably count. It's just that the aura they channel has manifested itself into the psychic element. Riley and I, as Guardians, can use aura in its pure form, normal type if you will, but also channel it into elemental forms. I tend to lean towards the electric, fighting, psychic and dark, while Riley picks the steel, fighting and normal."**

"**What about Luca, sensing the gears?" Lance glanced at the black furred jackal curiously.**

"**Luca's aura is developed to allow him to sense the Time Gears in their elemental form and the ripples they have upon the world." The elite explained. "We call this ability **_**Dimensional Scream**_**, although I have no clue why. Some people, like Annabel, who is a weak empath, can simply sense the auras of others and their emotions because of it."**

"**So the move aura sphere…" Gary frowned. "That's channelling your aura into an attack?"**

"**Yeah - that's right Blue," Ash smirked mocking at his former rival. "Aura sphere is a move made of pure aura. Only a few legendries, Lucario and that Unova one whose name I can't remember…" he paused frowning, before continuing, "Well they can use it. And yes, Misty, Dawn, Togekiss can use it too." He told the two Togekiss owners. "Riley reckons dragon pulse, dark pulse, detect and force palm use aura, but it's not been confirmed." He shrugged. "In in essence, all Pokémon attacks are aura, just varied into elemental form."**

"**So it is energy…?" Gary asked in disbelief, "Pure raw energy that you can harness and add a type to?"**

"**Aura is not energy. Don't be so crude, Gary, you're a scientist." The aura guardian looked a bit offended. "Aura is a type of energy true, but if you want to give it a term, it's more like 'life energy' or even 'soul energy'."**

"**But that doesn't make any sense!" Gary complained.**

"**It's not meant to be clear **_**Blue**_** – it's not a science, it's an art." Ash rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."**

**Leaf spoke up over her blustering boyfriend, "I heard in Orre they have these things called shadow Pokémon that have their hearts closed. Does that mean their aura is basically shut down?"**

"**Yeah, I heard about that too." Ash looked impressed at her knowledge. "But then Orre has always been a backwards place. The Shadow Pokémon has their aura inverted, their life, or soul energy inverted until they remain an inverted shell of what they were." He gestured to his loyal mouse. "Rai and I were sort of like that… but more of a dead sort of negative. Luca thinks he might be one, but we've seen no evidence for it. Personally I reckon he's just naturally dark. I have met an albino Furret once, and I think it's just a genetic quirk, like shiny Pokémon."**

**Gary looked curious at this, the scientist in him wanting to test that theory, but he restrained himself.**

"**Did you go back to Johto then?" Erika, who they had thought was asleep on the floor leaning against her Meganium, opened one eye.**

"**No, we didn't immediately, but eventually he wanted to get back to what he considered home, so we did leave Mount Coronet for Iron Island.")**

* * *

><p><strong>[13:48PM] –<strong>** 18****th**** September 2003 - Sinnoh – Iron Island**

"PikaChu!" (Look Out!)

Pikachu's warning allowed his trainer to duck the first rock that hurdled his way and he spun around, eyes blazing until his brown gaze landed on a smug Riley, another rock in his hand.

"What." Ash spat out. "Are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked with a smirk that Ash did not like the look of, creeping onto his face.

"You look like you're trying to give me a concussion." The teenager answered honestly. Briefly, he mentally calculated how long it might take him to run over to Gabite and hide behind him.

"It's to train your aura. I mean… using it passively and with a lot of thought is all well and good, but you need to learn to use it on instinct. First thing: dodging. Then, we can move onto fighting properly. At the moment you fight like a kid with a wooden sword."

Ash narrowed his eyes. It had been several more months since the pair had left Mount Coronet together, and they had eventually worked their way back to Riley's home island.

"Pretty miserable home," Ash had told him, staring at the dull grey landscape, with little greenery in sight. Riley had made his run laps then, around the damn island, and Ash had learned not to insult the dark haired man's home, even if he had technically been born in Canalve City.

Their training had varied from physical exercises (Riley had literally thrown him off the boat on the way here and left him to swim to the mainland), mental meditations (which involved a lot of sitting around doing nothing) and aura techniques. The latter progressed a lot quicker once Ash was able to manifest his aura physically, through a flare of blue or even a sphere. Pikachu was secretly learning to, and had managed to teach himself force palm through some trick or other.

Ash warily eyed his mentor, getting to his feet and steeling himself. It shouldn't be too bad, after all he was used to ducking Misty's mallets, or Dawn's wild slaps whenever he accidently insulted her or her hair. This shouldn't be too much trouble at all.

Then Riley threw a blindfold at him. "Put it on." He motioned.

Ash stared at him.

"I'm waiting." He indicated.

"Riley… come on… we're friends, right?" Ash begged, smiling, as if he was joking (_please Arceus let him be joking)_ and ignoring Pikachu's traitorous laughs.

"Right," Riley grinned, rock in hand. "So let's see how good you are at dodging."

Ash's smile dropped off his face.

* * *

><p><strong>("Yes Misty, I am telling the truth, if you don't believe me, then tough." Ash glared around at the gang, as if daring them to argue.<strong>

**Lance cautiously raised a hand, before speaking. "I can vouch for him." He told everyone. "I watched one of their 'training sessions' although I think that… well… I think massacre might describe it a bit better."**

"**Thanks for the support." Ash grumbled. "We spent a while there, before moving on. We visited Eterna, Celestic, and then Sunnyshore again. We circled around south to Jubilife and Twinleaf, before we took a boat to Johto."**

"**Why Johto..?" Gary asked. "Why not Hoenn or stay in Sinnoh?"**

**Ash shrugged. "I was just following Riley. It was a nice change to go to where someone else wanted to go and not where I wanted to go. We mutually decided Johto because he had never been there, and I hadn't been there for a while. We were getting less and less calls from the Sinnoh League, and we decided that the Sinnoh rangers could manage themselves."**

"**How did the guardians work?" Erika asked, glancing up. "Were you on par with the ranger and elites?"**

**Ash nodded. "The Leagues had links to us, and whenever they couldn't contact a ranger or elite, or they thought the situation needed something more, they would contact us to sort out the problem. We shut down an operation in Eterna, a hatchery, breeding Pokémon for profit. After rescuing the eggs and baby Pokémon, giving them to a nurse to send to Solaceon, Riley taught me how to…" Ash stopped, "Actually you know what, never mind." He cut himself off.**

"**The Guardian Order was small, with the aura ability only being very slight. Riley told me that he only knew three other members, and his Lucario and I were two of them."**

"**The other..?" Leaf asked.**

"**I don't know." Ash shrugged. "But we moved down to Johto and found ourselves in Mahogany Town, and I was reintroduced to Lance ****Wataru****."**

**Where he was sitting Lance pumped his fist. "Finally!" he sighed. "I've been waiting for this! My grand entrance." He glanced at the looks he was getting. "What?"**

"**Yes." Ash smirked. "I met the insane dragon master who ran after a raging Hydreigon."**

"**But…" Lance didn't seem to see a problem with this. "It was a **_**Hydreigon!**_**")**

* * *

><p><strong>[17:18PM] –<strong>** 13****th**** January 2004 – Johto – Mahogany Town – Underground Tunnels**

"Duck!"

Hearing that command one too many times from his own Pokémon and the eccentric aura guardian, Ash obeyed instantly, because when Riley told you to duck, you listened. Ash had grown to know the older guardian well over the past six months of travelling. Riley had an odd penchant for explosives, a fascination with mythology and a hatred of seafood, and he and Ash had fitted into a friendly routine. Riley wasn't the big brother that Brock had been, but neither was he the little sibling that May, Dawn and Max had provided. If Riley was a sibling, he'd be one that you pretend isn't related to you.

As it was, the two were friends and both trusted the other with their life, due to the various scrapes they ended up in, due to trouble stalking Ash, and Riley stalking trouble.

They made a great team.

Ash ducked and rolled, out of the way as Duke, the Absol, shot a night slash over his head, knocking the wind out of the thug in front of the teen.

The guardians were wiping out a small fraction of Team Rocket, which had splintered off from the main body and set up a small Pokémon smuggling circle under a small souvenir shop. Out loose from their Pokéballs, Eelektrik, newly evolved, Luxray and Gallade.

Arrin (the Eelektrik) was throwing a thunderbolt at the grunts not hit by Duke's wide razor wind. The happy eel had discovered a thunderstone on Iron Island, and was waiting until he felt it was the right time to evolve. Until then Pikachu now avoided Ash's bag, and sent in Tristan to retrieve his ketchup bottle whenever he felt like a snack. Ash had caught his electric starter bribing the psychic fighting type with anything from a twisted spoon to a black sash, although where Pikachu found those items was beyond him. He had a nagging suspicious that Pikachu had learnt thief though at some point.

Probably from Luxray, Ash observed his Luxray tackle a grunt, claws ripping the fabric and jaws snatching out a small bag of money.

Oh well, if they paid for their own care then all the best for them.

The man in front of Ash staggered up, winded but not yet down, and Ash punched him in the chest, fist imbued almost naturally with a blue aura.

"PiKa!" (Nice one!) Pikachu chirped, and Ash thanked Mew for small miracles. Being able to actually understand the chirps and squeaks without having to resort to his large and expansive dictionary of Pi's and Chu's was a small blessing in a fight, when his Pokémon could give him warning and communicate problems with ease.

The grunt's partner spun around, rifle raised, only to be sliced in half by the electric lion's iron tail. Lux looked far too happy, as he ripped the remains of the weapon away with his teeth, paralyzing waves sending the man crumpling to the ground.

"No killing." Ash snapped at his bloodthirsty electric type. Lux glared at his trainer, but consented with a flick of his tail, sending a paralyzing wave at the group of approaching guards from another corridor. Ash had turned away to the east, observing Tristan blocking the meagre Persian statue defence from screaming out yet another alarm.

"So much for subtlety Riley," Ash muttered to himself. Spinning to the left, he almost ran into a grunt lounging about in the corridor, but Eelektrik barrelled into him with a wild charge, and Ash kept moving.

The abandoned base they had just entered was a rabbit warren. Riley and Ash were splitting up, the former acting as a distraction for the grunts by running into the sensors and security, allowing Ash through unimpeded to search for the trapped Pokémon. It had originally been Riley's plan for Ash to run around as bait, but the teenager firmly refused, and it was now the older guardian leading them on a merry dance around their own base.

Ash's aura skills had improved drastically under Riley's 'teachings'. With Lucario there, it helped a lot, the jackal instructing him how to form attacks. Once the raven haired teen had learned how to harness his aura, the rest was relatively easy in comparison. Nothing could quite beat the challenge of trying to form his first aura sphere through.

Ash rounded down another corridor, heading for a set of stairs, which twisted and curved around, and he struggled for orientation. A sixth sense told him he was getting warmer, and he trusted that tiny feeling which told him which way to turn.

There was a lone guard at the bottom, and Ash instinctively closed his eyes, slipping into aura sight. Riley's abrasive training method had worked, and the living pulse of the grunt echoed, beating across the aura fields. Ash dodged the blue of his swing, seeing the movement before it happened, and grabbed the arm, twisting it and overbalancing the man, dropping a large, dull aura sphere on him.

He hesitated a moment when the blue heartbeat flared and died. He hadn't meant to kill the man!

"(I thought you said not to kill them.)" Luxray criticised.

"T…Try not to." Ash tried to catch his thoughts, but the need to find the Pokémon overwhelmed his urge to stand around wondering what had just happened.

He had killed a man.

He didn't feel anything was wrong with the action, justified in his need to find the creatures which needed him more.

It didn't stop the slight feeling of guilt build inside him.

"We don't want a repeat of Eterna," Ash spun away, talking to his electric types.

"(Eterna was horrible.)" The electric eel agreed as he danced forwards. "(But whether that was because of the stuff they were doing or because of Riley and his explosives I'm not sure.)"

He considered it a moment. "Riley." He confirmed. "Definitely because of the explosions," he told Arrin, who was glancing down a split corridor.

"_The Pokémon are this way!" _Tristan telepathically called, standing near a locked door which was no longer locked, instead hanging off its hinges, metal singed by the force of his psychic cut.

The eel turned from his station, moving forwards after the Gallade. "On it," Ash leapt forwards, following Arrin and Tristan. "Lux guard the hall." He called over his shoulder, as Pikachu followed him in.

The guardian grimaced at the scene in front of him. This was a smuggling alright, cages upon cages of metal, scared elemental faces peering through the bars in fear. Ash considered the fact they were still alive and in good health a positive factor, even if they were caged against their will. The raven haired trainer hastened to release them, getting them out of their safely by the safest method available, catching them in Pokéballs and allowing them to transport themselves to Oak's ranch.

The red and white spheres shimmered with blue and teleported away. They would be released upon arrival into the safe environment, their new home. The spheres weren't registered to anyone, and so they would still be 'wild' essentially.

It took about twenty minutes to calm them, explain what was happening and then to act upon it. One little Flaafy refused to be caught, and instead hopped down and joined Pikachu in explaining what was happening to the others.

A loud explosion from outside signified Luxray had just hit somebody with a spark attack, and Ash felt my heart go out to the sorry bastard. Catching the last Pokémon – a Poochyena - he let the sphere teleport away and then spun around to check Luxray wasn't killing anybody.

The blue and black cat was snarling instead at a very large and frightening Dragonite, the dragon taking up over half the corridor. The lion looked unafraid, and all too prepared to charge right into battle.

Ash was the one to notice the orange fire forming.

"Oh crap." he cursed.

"Use hyper beam!"

He'd never seen a hyper beam form that fast. Except in the case of the champion's monster when he was battling the red Gyrados… Ash ducked, just in time, as Luxray took the safer option of leaping into a corridor out of the way. The orange beam hurtled over his head, missing by a few inches and passing over towards a group of grunts who were running towards the source of the explosion.

Not always a good or wise idea.

The raven glanced up at the monstrous lizard, wondering if it was, in fact the champion's own partner.

It was certainly large enough, but Ash was sure that Riley had phoned and told the G-Men to stay out of this mess.

Behind him the hyper beam hit the grunts and scattering their ranks. The remaining few who had avoided the hyper beam, staggered forwards, guns raised and ready to fire on the champion and his dragon.

The shots peppered out against a blue protect shield, bubbling from Ash's gloved hand. It shook, unstable, under the physical impacts, the first time it had been tested out in a life or death situation, but it held.

Luxray let out a howl, bounding towards the grunts, cloaked in fire. Ash ignored his Luxray who had somehow managed to learn flame charge, when it wasn't possible for his species via extensive teachings or breeding, and let him have at it, knocking two of the grunts down while Pikachu, Eelektrik and the Flaafy took care of the rest.

"What the…" Ash heard the dragon owner's confusion, watching the electric types take care of the rockets. Spinning around, he caught sight of the red-hair, cape and wondered what it was with old acquaintances mistaking him for a criminal.

"Please don't try and fire another hyper beam." Ash snapped, quickly before Lance got it into his head to attack again. "I'd like to keep me head." He added, watching as the champion stared at him, with dawning recognition, a name forming on his lips when there was a rumble.

The whole building shook, the floor rattling violently. The group staggered with the impact, but managed to remain standing, Ash mentally cursing.

"Dammit Rai," he glared at his rat, "I thought you said Riley didn't have any explosives!"

"Pika..!" Pikachu leapt for safety, namely his trainer's shoulder, as Ash returned Arrin and Tristan. "Kaa Chu Pikachu!" (I checked! I swear there was nothing explosive anywhere near him!)

Ash tried to return Luxray but he dodged the beam, stalking around and looking for more rockets to electrocute, with the Flaafy dancing at his heels.

"Lux!" Ash snapped, and the cat turned to glare at him. The floor shook again. "Can you find the exit?" Luxray considered this for a moment. "Retreat..?" Ash tried, hoping he might lead them out.

The electric type didn't appear to know what that word meant, but as the building rattled once again, sending both Ash and Lance crashing into the wall, trying to remain upright, he got the message, and rounded towards the nearest exit, bounding away like an electrified cannon-ball on crack.

Ash glanced over his shoulder to Lance. "Are you coming?" he asked.

The champion protested. "But the Pokémon…"

"Saved," Ash interrupted. "It's done, it's sorted! We can get out of here and let the police and rangers to clear up what's left of the paralyzed guys." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder to the unmoving black uniformed grunts. "I'm all in favour of getting out of here while the building remains standing, to try and find out what my idiotic mentor is up to."

As if hearing his words, there was a rumble and cracking sound, of the splitting ceiling tiles. The raven haired teen glanced warily upwards, beginning to walk down the corridor in the direction that Luxray had taken. For a moment the champion looked torn, before returning his giant Dragonite and breaking into a jog after him.

"You're with Riley?" he asked, glancing sideways in disbelief. "He's a maniac!"

"Tell me about it." Ash rolled his eyes, pausing briefly to scoop up the persistent Flaafy into his arms, after Lance almost tripped over her. "But he did definitely sent a message to the G-men telling them we had this under control. Didn't you get it?"

Lance scoffed. "Of course we got it. But when it's from Riley and his 'unknown apprentice' it doesn't mean anything." They rounded the corner making for the stairs. "Wait." Lance frowned, taking the stairs two at a time, skidding to a halt at the top and turning to look at Ash. "Does that mean _you're_ Riley's new apprentice?"

"I don't know about 'new'." Ash shrugged. "I think I'm his only one, and he calls the position 'cannon fodder', actually."

The pair emerged up another set of stairs into the tacky souvenir shop, only to find the shop… was no longer there. For a moment they stood blinking at the rubble, coughing in the dust, until Ash spotted Lux a few feet away and moved to join him.

"What did Riley do this time?" he coughed, waving away a cloud of dust from around his face. He glanced around for his errant friend and mentor, spotting Aaron, his Lucario, forming an aura sphere. The jackal was looking very weary and battered, standing next to Absol. Above them, Riley's new Skarmory was locked in battle with a purple and black monstrosity.

"Beautiful." Lance breathed, eyeing the three headed dragon.

The ground shook as a hyper beam missed the steel bird, crashing into the ground and sending ripples through the earth. Ash guessed that explained the earthquakes, as Pikachu clung even tighter to the collar of his blue jacket. Lux leaped out of the way, running a current over his body to keep him in the air, in a mock magnet rise effect.

"I suppose the good news is that Riley doesn't have any explosives." Ash tried to look on the bright side, ignoring the infatuated look the champion had, while staring at the pseudo legendary dark and dragon type. The grunt in control of the beast… was not actually in control, and had actually been knocked out by Absol. Riley was on the ground, trying to order Skarmory about, while ducking from the multiple mix of hyper beams, flamethrowers and… that thing could use surf?

"I've always wanted a Hydreigon."

Ash glanced at the champion warily. "Well you know what? Go for it." Ash gestured to the three headed hydra. "It's all yours."

"Really..?" Lance looked like Christmas had come early. Then again, Ash mused, if he got given a Pokémon for Christmas he's be ecstatic too. He wondered if he'd be more so, if it was an electric type.

"It's your funeral." Ash quipped, moving to help Riley arrest the thugs milling about of the surface, while trying to dodge the hyper beam and hyper voice attack. Lance released his Dragonite and Altaria and started forwards, towards the Unova dragon, a determined look on his face.

Lance found a lot of rare Pokémon around Mahogany Town. Maybe he should hang around there more often.

* * *

><p><strong>("He caught it. Well… when I say caught, I mean his Dragonite knocked it out with a close range focus blast and then he pilfered the Pokéball from its unconscious trainer."<strong>

"**You stole it!" May was aghast. "You said someone gave it to you!"**

"**Liberated, I **_**liberated**_** it!" Lance corrected, and May couldn't really argue with that.**

**Ash shrugged and continued. "Lance and Riley then proceeded to argue about whose job it was to attack Mahogany, while I rolled my eyes a lot and eventually accompanied the Flaafy to where her family lived and said goodbye, promising to visit. Yes, she is my Ampharos – I went back later and asked if she wanted to come along with me."**

"**What… wait… that's where you went?" Lance glared at him. "You **_**left**_** me with that smug guardian on purpose!"**

"**You didn't notice." Ash promised him. "You were mid-way through a long and complicated discussion on how a phone works."**

**Lance frowned. "It wasn't about how a phone works. It was about responsibilities, and whose duty it was to respond to that sort of crisis!"**

"**Lance." Ash tried to let his friend down gently. "We don't really care."**

"**Of course you don't care." Lance grumbled. "You ran away and left me with him for an hour. **_**A whole hour!**_** I don't know how a managed it."**

**Ash rolled his eyes. "You managed well enough when you began travelling with us." He reminded the champion. Turning back to the group he continued. "After their little argument, Lance began to tag along with us. We went west to Ectreteak, even though we were meant to be heading for the ice path."**

"**It was Riley's fault." Lance added.**

**Ash was actually glaring at Rai, who was busy playing with Shadow. "We ended up heading west, instead of east like we first intended. We split ways briefly around Cianwood, me and Riley heading to the Safari Zone to deal with these renegade smugglers while Lance was looking up on some Hoenn myths."**

**May perked up. "Embedded tower?" she glanced at the champion, "Did you find it?" she asked eagerly.**

"**I found a tower." Lance admitted. "A cave in the cliff of route 47 which wound up and up, although the stairs were ruined and I needed Rago. There were the patterns in the walls floors, similar to the weather deities. It probably was."**

"**Wow." May breathed. "It's said that the Hoenn people came to Johto over the sea, and that was the first place they landed. In order to commemorate their landing, they built the tower to worship their deities, but during a war with Johto, it was torn down."**

"**Why would they do that?" Lance frowned.**

"**The people of Johto worshipped their legendary bird titans. For these strangers to come and talk about Pokémon moving land, sea and sky opposed their view about the elemental birds."**

"**I thought our regions believed in the birth of Mew." Ash pointed out.**

"**Mew was the birth of all people and Pokémon. Arceus was the birth of the world." May recited, "That's how the legends go, at least. Who knows whether or not it is true?"**

"**What did you sort out at the safari zone?" Misty asked.**

"**Hunter renegades. Leftovers from J's gang," Ash told her. "Then of course that idiot couldn't leave us to handle it and had to turn up with his shiny Gyrados, and create a new target for them to go after."**

"**I'd finished what I was doing." Lance grumbled. "You were taking too long."**

"**We were stalking out their camp." Ash replied. "We told you that! You were just impatient; hanging around Cianwood trying not to be seen by those crazy people you call 'fan girls'."**

**Misty sighed. "Thank god my reputation preceded me, and once they found out that Ash and I were dating they backed of him."**

"**What?" Ash's voice had risen slightly. "What do you mean I had… uh…?"**

"**No." Misty looked smug. "If you did they no longer exist. Trust me on that."**

**Brock was crying, mock tears, and Ash just decided not to ask. May was staring at her boyfriend slightly worried. "You… don't **_**still**_** get stalked by fans do you?" she asked warily.**

"**You'd know if I was." He reassured her. "And no, I don't. Karen spread rumours that I was dating Lorelei."**

"**In retribution," Ash smirked. "We spread rumours that Karen and Will were dating. Then we discover that they actually are when Lance walked in on…"**

"**Shut up! You said you'd never mention that!" the champion looked slightly flustered.**

**The aura guardian just smirked for a moment, before receiving a cushion in the face, which Lance had thrown across the room at him. "Sorry," he said cheekily. "Forget you asked that."**

"**You two are hilarious." Erika rolled her eyes. "No wonder whenever you battle each other it gets so much publicity. They're not watching the battle though. They're watching the pair of you act like idiots."**

**Ash opened his mouth to protest but Misty beat him too it, "He does not act like an idiot!" she paused. "Well he does sometimes, but only I'm allowed to tell him that!"**

"**Thanks for the support Misty." He rolled his eyes. "My point was, Lance couldn't stay put so he came looking for us in the safari zone. And then things just went from bad to worse…")**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This is a birthday present to... uh... myself I guess. I'm back to my Thursday posting schedule! I just like Thursdays for some reason, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I was born on a Thursday (not this one), that school ended today or that Castiel happens to be the angel of Thursday.<strong>_

_**Thanks to Guest for pointing out the double evolution of Gible in the previous chapter - it's edited now and he only evolves once, despite how awesome he is. Thanks also to everyone who reviewed - I'm glad you're enjoying the story and hope you continue to do so!**_

_**Hope you enjoyed the chapter - next up Riley, Ash and Lance wander around Johto some more. See you on a Thursday (not sure when). :)**_

_**~ Eclipse**_


	28. On the Wings of a Dragon

**Chapter 29 – On the Wings of a Dragon**

"_I enjoyed travelling with Ash and Riley, and not least because I was away from the League and free in my home region. The League complained of course, but I was still working as a G-Man, helping out the two Guardians with their missions, whether they wanted the help or not."_ Lance

* * *

><p><strong>[14:29PM] –<strong>** 24****th**** May 2004 – Johto – Safari Zone**

Ash came to, with the sun shining in his eyes. He shifted his head, a pain in the back of his neck. There was something sticky there too, and without moving he knew it was blood.

What had they been doing?

He and Riley had been taking down the renegade hunters in the Safari Zone, and everything had been going fine, until another group turned up. There weren't meant to be that many of them!

"Ash..?" It was Riley, and the teen opened one eye to look for his friend. Said blue wearing guardian was tied up to the right of him, arms behind him and roped to a tree with a ludicrous amount of rope. "Are you alright?"

Blinking groggily Ash smiled bitterly. "Do I look alright?" he asked, "Don't answer that."

He could see the relief in Riley's eyes.

"What happened?" Ash asked, trying to move his arms which were tied up. "Where's Pikachu? Where's Lucario?" his eyes then fell on their magnetic belts, hanging on another tree branch in front of them. For a moment Ash stared in horror, at the six red and white spheres clipped to the magnetic strip. His eyes were fixed on the lightning bolt symbol carved onto the one.

Riley winced. "They managed to return him after a while. It only took about half of the Hunters."

"Least they don't have those stone guns." Ash sighed. Then he saw the look on Riley's face. "They have the guns?" he sighed. "How did we get tied up here anyway? Well… I know I got hit with a dragon pulse from that Vibrava…"

"You got knocked out." Riley explained. "They had stun guns and one hit you with it. They got me with one too, clipped me on the side leaving me more paralyzed than anything else."

"How do we get into situations like these?" Ash sighed. "We're smarter than this."

Riley shot him a pointed look, but its effect was somewhat marred by his jaunty hat. "I say patience." He suggested.

"_Patience_..?" Ash wasn't impressed.

"Only five of your Pokéballs are full." He explained.

The trainer glanced, taking in the full lightning bolt ball (poor Pikachu), the full lights of Eelektrik, Donphan, Tauros and Croconaw. That left Gabite unrecalled. "They didn't…" he began, and the guardian shook his head.

"They daren't touch a guardian's Pokémon. They know that ours will never listen to another trainer, and would sooner die first. It's a wasted investment."

Ash let his head rest back against the tree trunk. "You know I never thought I'd say this, but I kind of miss being stalked by those three rockets. At least they occasionally turned up at appropriate times to help out. This would be one of those times."

"What happened to them?" Riley asked.

Ash shrugged. "They stalked me to Mount Coronet. Noctowl and Snorlax sent them blasting off one day and they never came back. They probably got a job working in a noodle factory, or got sent to Unova or someplace. Who knows?" he shrugged, seemingly unbothered. "Pikachu's just happy they're not around anymore. And I bet Dawn is happy she doesn't have to compete against Jessie in contests. She actually thought we didn't recognise her, when she competed, but it was glaringly obvious."

Somewhere, a mauve haired woman sneezed. A cat hissed at her to be quiet, while her partner just remained stoic, focussed on the mission.

Back to our heroes, Riley was torn between rolling his eyes and laughing. "Have I ever told you that some of your adventures are the craziest things I've ever heard?"

"Several times," The trainer admitted. "Several times… although I think the stuff we've seen around Sinnoh and Johto can match that."

"How long until you think your Gabite turns up…?"

"You're positive that they haven't captured him?"

"Positive."

"Then I'd give it about…" Ash was interrupted by a loud explosion, which he had grown to recognise it was from a hyper beam. "Gabite can't use hyper beam." He frowned, straining to see around the tree.

Riley too, had strained in his bonds to try and see the disturbance. "It's a Gyrados." He told Ash, having a better view than the younger teen. "A red one," he added, sighing. "What's Lance doing here?"

"I like how we automatically assume that it belongs to Lance." Ash gave a nervous chuckle. There was now the sound of gun fire echoing from the campsite of the hunters. His attention shifted to a shape in the shadows, and a blue scythe emerged. "Gabite..?" Ash called. "Is that you…?"

"Chomp."

Ash swallowed. "Gabite…?" he asked, staring up at the pseudo dragon.

"Actually," Riley looked nervous for some reason. "That's a Garchomp. Lance doesn't own a Garchomp, does he?"

"No," Ash shook his head. "Cynthia won't let him. Hey, Garr, buddy, can you cut these ropes for us?"

The large Garchomp cracked his head down to look at his trainer, before moving forwards. For a moment Ash was slightly worried he would lose his head, but then the claws swiped through the rope cleanly and he knew that it was silly not to trust his own Pokémon.

"Garr?" Riley glanced sideways, wincing as Garchomp moved over to cut through the bonds. "Can't think of a better nickname?"

"Not now." Ash snapped. "Great job on the evolution," he congratulated his ground and dragon type. There was the sound of shouting from behind him and he spun around.

"Here!" Riley tossed over Ash's Poké Belt. "Let your rat out and we'll go around and see what's going on."

The trainer grabbed the hated Pokéball, releasing Pikachu in a cloud of red light. The mouse blinked, dazed and shaking and Ash scooped him up, clutching his against his chest. "Can I?" Ash asked his new dragon, who just nodded happily, clacking his jaws together. Ash leapt up onto his back, grabbing onto the notched back fin. "Coming?" he asked Riley, who shook his head, releasing his own Skarmory.

"I'll meet you around." The guardian said, leaping up in a whirlwind of dust. Garchomp thrashed his tail and leapt up afterwards, roaring out a battle cry but it was lost in the sound of the hunters defending their camp.

It was chaos, a few metres to the left. A large red Gyrados was writhing in the centre of the camp, nets catching in its spiky fins. One of the hunters was setting up a large stone stun gun, adjusting the settings. He smirked as something clicked into place, and pressed a large trigger.

The beam was orange, firing out and enveloping the writhing sea serpent. Gradually the scales stopped rattling, and the sound died down as its thrashings ceased.

"No!" Lance tried to throw off the two who were holding him down, a third holding onto a glass container. His eyes flickered to his Gyrados and back to the glass case, a soft blue shelled egg resting inside, with a wing like spiral pattern on one side.

He knew he should have left that damn egg back in Blackthorn, screw whatever the nurse had said about 'walking with it to make it hatch' nonsense. At least there it was safe…

Rope was tied around his arms, biting into the flesh. He winced, growling at the hunters. "You won't get away with this." He snapped, feeling horribly cliché. "I've got two friends who will turn up and…"

"Friends?" one of them laughed. "Oh you won't be seeing them…" he broke off as another grunt ran up to him, whispering into his ear. The first one's face fell, eyes glaring at Lance. "Tie him up!" he snapped. "Guard him!"

Where were Ash and Riley? Why were they not spying on the very hunters they were here to take down?

This was the last time he was going to try and help them out dammit!

* * *

><p><strong>[18:20PM] –<strong>** 24****th**** May 2004 – Johto – Safari Zone**

Ash and Riley had moved a short distance away to recover, avoiding the camp for the time being. They had returned then, as dusk fell, releasing their Pokémon to circle around the hunters, who stupidly hadn't even bother moving camp.

"Remember." Ash reminded his Tauros. "You're a wild Pokémon. So just charge through there like you do at Professor Oak's Lab, okay?" There was a snort and a pawing of hooves. Ash smiled. "Good boy. On the signal..."

"What did we decide was the signal?" Riley dropped out of a nearby tree, binocular hanging around his neck.

Ash blinked at him. "How do you forget _that…_?"

The signal they had arranged was Garchomp, crashing into the middle of the camp from beneath with a dig, and shooting a fire blast towards their stone gun. That was the main target, to destroy the weapon. If Garr didn't manage, then it was the bull's job to ram into it with a wild charge.

As it was, Ash's previous claim that Garr didn't know hyper beam was completely false. The orange beam hit the gun straight centre, and a charging Tauros shattered it into several large chunks.

"Get them!" a Hunter shouted. "Go!"

Pokémon were released in red flashes. Ash's gaze was fixed on the Vibrava which had hit him earlier. "Rai." He said quietly to the Pikachu on his shoulder. "See that thing." He pointed the dragonfly out.

Pikachu nodded his head. "Pi." He agreed.

"When Crocanaw uses ice beam, let it freeze your iron tail and hit it with an ice tail."

Pikachu's eyes sparked at the combination, and Crocanaw, hearing the idea… danced…

"Go!" Ash watched as Pikachu leapt from his forwards, using a tree branch to propel him into the air, spinning in an iron tail. The ice beam clipped him, knocking his flight path a little bit, but he remained on course, bringing the ice tail crashing down on the dragonfly's head.

"Score!" Ash cheered. "Great job guys. Croconaw – go and help Absol and Ursaring. Eelektrik…" he observed his eel that was skipping around in circles. "Never mind…" he sighed, before circling around to help Riley. "Rai!" he called, "Thunder wave!"

The paralyzing wave washed through the grunts, seizing up their muscles and preventing movement. Terra, Riley's Metagross, caught them with a psychic, and they began hovering above the ground. Their Pokémon were hit with a mixture of attacks from Io, Duke and Feral, the Ursaring, Absol and Crocanaw respectively. Any who tried to escape were met with Riley's Salamence, her jaws bared in a snarl, fire fang burning.

"Well that was easier." Riley flicked a bit of debris of his hat. "Not a bad job guys!" he compliments his Pokémon. He glanced around. "What did they do with Lance?" he mused.

"I feel a bit guilty for leaving him," Ash admitted, tending to the frozen Pokémon and releasing them. He ducked out of the way of the thrashing Gyrados who paused, at realising who was tending to him.

"Gya?" he asked. (Where's Lance?)

"We'll get him now." Ash promised, heading towards where they had been tied up earlier.

"Hey!" Riley called after him. "Ash!"

"What?" he spun around.

"Don't tell Lance that we were tied up earlier."

It took a moment for Ash to comprehend this. "Not at all?" he confirmed.

Riley smirked. "Not at all."

Ash rolled his eyes. Sometimes his mentor had such a mean streak. Upon seeing Lance tied up, to the same tree he was earlier, he abandoned all guilt. "Well, well, well." Ash looked decidedly amused at the tied up champion. Oh he was so agreeing to Riley's plan of _never_ admitting that they had been stuck in this position only several hours earlier. "What do we have here?"

"You'd make a great villain if you ever go into acting." Lance jibed, glaring at the smug guardian. "Now stop grinning and untie me already!"

* * *

><p><strong>("You liars..!" Lance looked aghast. "You told me that you'd been staking the place out! Last time I check 'stake out' does not equal being tied to a tree."<strong>

"**We were staked out. There were ropes, pegs…" Ash stopped, a smirk resting on his face. **

"**What was the egg?" Brock asked. "You said they stole Lance's egg."**

**The red-head looked really embarrassed at that. "Don't mention it." He growled. "To anybody..!"**

"**It was his Dratini," Ash explained. "His pair of Dragonair had a Dratini egg and Lance was blackmailed by the scary Nurse Joy of Blackthorn into caring for it. He doesn't like to admit that he actually enjoyed it." His voice dropped to a conspirators tone. "He thinks it ruins his manly image."**

"**What manly image?" Erika carried on the joke. "Lance? Don't make me laugh."**

**May opened her mouth to protest, but Brock interrupted. "Was the egg okay?" he asked, desperately.**

**Lance nodded, holding up his Dratini from around his neck. "See for yourself." He passed the serpent over to the breeder.**

"**Ti Drat!" the dragon snake cooed.**

"**Where did you go next?" Dawn asked. "The safari zone is pretty much to the far west of Johto."**

"**We turned around and came back. We spent some time in Ecruteak and Olivine. Volkner was visiting Jasmine so we popped in to say hi…" Ash paused. "**_**I**_** popped in to say hi." He corrected. "And to show him how Eelektrik was getting on… Riley and Lance followed me."**

"**What else were we meant to do? Hang around waiting for you?" Lance asked.**

"**Wait! That was when you entered the tag battle tournament, wasn't it?" May asked him excitedly. "I remember seeing that being aired when I was doing a contest circuit in Sinnoh! You used your dragons and paired up with Ash!"**

"**Tournament..?" Erika asked.**

"**Scott of the Battle Frontier was holding a tournament in Olivine, to celebrate the opening of the official 'battle zone' where his brains could hang out, and other trainers could practise. He set up a tag battle tournament and invited us to enter."**

"**Why didn't Riley enter?" Max asked, still staying as far away as possible from Zo the other end of his sofa.**

"**He did." Lance said.**

"**We drew lots." Ash explained. "Volkner and Jasmine were pairing up and so Riley had to make do with another partner." Ash winced. "He dragged Cynthia over from Sinnoh."**

"**Champion Cynthia?" Max's voice had taken on an air of amazement. "He dragged her over from Sinnoh?"**

"**Riley's unofficial girlfriend," Ash confirmed. "Yes,**_** that**_** Cynthia; Riley begged her and it turns out she was in Goldenrod anyway, something about MooMoo milk ice cream, so she just popped over."**

"**I **_**so**_** wish I picked Johto to travel through as my first region instead of Hoenn." Max stared enviously at Ash. The youngster had started out his journey through Hoenn that year, picking up a female Treecko with a love for chewing daisies, and collecting his Ralts. Along with a Slakoth his father had gifted him; he set off to compete in the Hoenn League, eventually placing in the top 32. His other Pokémon included a Mightyena, a Banette and a Breloom. **

"**You know." Ash mused. "We never had that battle I promised you." he directed towards Max.**

**The kid looked slightly scared. "Maybe it can wait a few years?" he asked. "I mean… I know I ventured through Hoenn, Sinnoh and Kanto, but my team can still use some building up before I even think about challenging the Kanto elite four."**

**Ash laughed. "I wasn't talking about my electric team. Maybe the Hoenn lot, Sceptile, Crawdaunt and company..?"**

**Max still looked apprehensive.**

"**What happened?" May asked, glancing away from his computer. She blinked, letting out an 'aw' at the sight of Misty, snoozing, her head resting on Ash's shoulder. "Max, go and find a camera." She instructed.**

"**But sis…!"**

"**Now," She said, voice still sugar sweet, leaving no room for arguments.**

* * *

><p><strong>[15:04PM] –<strong>** 18****th**** July 2004 – Johto – Olivine City – Battle Frontier Exhibition – Tag Battle Tournament**

"Why did I agree to this?" Ash rhetorically asked Pikachu who was perched on his shoulder. He stood next to Lance, staring across the field towards a black haired guardian and blonde champion.

"KaPiChu." (Because you're an idiot.) Pikachu said, with all the wisdom of one who had spent seven years with Ash.

"Thanks." The trainer sighed, trying to decide on a Pokémon to battle. "Hmm… I've got it." He clicked his fingers. "Lance hasn't met Shard yet, has he?"

Pikachu almost fell of his shoulder he was laughing so hard.

The referee signalled for the battle to begin. The stands were almost packed with everyone wanting to see the champions battle it out.

"Soar Rago!" Lance threw forth his orange Dragonite.

"Knock them down Terra!" Riley released his Metagross.

"Battle dance Radé!" Cynthia's Roserade appeared in a flurry of petals.

"Take to the skies Shard!"

Lance looked jealously towards the Charizard. "How come you never told me you had a Charizard?" he asked Ash.

"You never asked." The teen quipped. "Shard! Incinerate!"

Lance smirked. "Draco Meteor!" he added to the chaos.

"Protect!" Cynthia called.

At the same time, Riley ordered "Psychic!"

The flaming infernos that fell from the sky paused, before reaching the pair. Then slowly, they began to rise back up. Lance winced. "That's not good." He sighed.

"Blast burn!" Ash called, glancing to Lance. "I'm going all out power if you can keep them off his back."

The orange drake spun around mid-air, wings out furling as he dived down towards Roserade with a snarl, flames curling at his tongue. Metagross, following Riley's orders moved in front. Lance smirked, spotting Ash's plan as the hyper beam fire variant hit its intended target, damaging the steel type and causing it to lose its concentration. The psychic failed and the fiery meteors began to plummet.

Ash hissed in annoyance as Metagross shook off the attack, still battling. Charizard had landed… sort of… and was now unable to move at all.

"Switch," Lance told him. "Now while Roserade is dodging the meteors."

Ash obeyed, recalling Shard in a beam of red light. He hesitated only half a second before throwing out his next choice. "Dual - Tristan!"

His Gallade materialised, spinning his blades. Ash smirked. "I'm talking to him with telepathy." He told Lance. "Just a warning…"

"He can use telepathy?" Lance gritted his teeth, trying to arrange for Rago to get in a position to use blizzard on the Roserade, who was setting up a pollen spore combination. Ash smirked.

At that moment Gallade leapt forwards in a jump, landing on Riley's Metagross and hopping over it, towards where Roserade was sheltering behind the pseudo steel and psychic type. The warrior was charging a focus blast and as he landed, he released it, straight at Roserade.

Cynthia's eyes flashed with annoyance as her grass type was knocked back. "Sludge bomb!" she called, "Then magical leaf!"

Gallade warded off the first attack with a spinning blade, lunging out of the way of the poison type attack with his own close combat. He fell short as the magical leaf hit him. Ash frowned from where he was standing, struggling to see past where Metagross and Dragonite had resorted to trading hyper beams.

"_Try teleporting!"_ Ash mentally called to Tristan, who obeyed, flickering out of sight and reappearing behind Roserade. _"Now use fire punch!"_

"_No need to shout."_

Ash glanced at the mouse on his shoulder. "Did you…" he frowned "Say something?"

"Pi!" Pikachu nodded happily, and then paused. "PikaChu Kachu…" (Wait… not out-loud…)

"That's what I thought." Ash blinked. "Gallade teleport!" he caught sight of Metagross switching targets, and along the thoughts of _"avoid hyper beam and close combat"_ he was surprised to see that Tristan had taken that as an order, and had teleported out of the way, reappearing on top of Terra, slamming down in a devastating fighting attack.

Lance called for a blizzard to hit Roserade, and it hit the grass type who took super-effective damage, knocking out the already weary bouquet Pokémon.

"_Earthquake..!"_ Ash was testing out the limits of his mental commands.

"_Really..? You really want me to do that?"_

"_Yes. Unless you can think of something better..?"_

"_Fire punch!"_

"_Okay, that'd work."_

"Hammer arm!" Riley called upon seeing the fire punch erupt out of nowhere. "Get that Gallade off! Then use Zen Head butt!" The iron leg Pokémon swung around, and Gallade suddenly found his perch was unstable to stand on.

He shifted, trying to regain his balance, but was resorted to leaping off, throwing one last psycho cut at Terra.

"_How about you use an earthquake now?"_

Cynthia's next Pokémon, a Glaceon, was most alarmed to find the field shaking under her paws. With a cry of alarm she staggered sideways, Ash smiling triumphantly. Gallade though was in trouble, as a hammer arm came crashing down.

"Use ice beam, Leah!" Cynthia asked her ice type, who shot the freezing beam upwards, clipping Dragonite on one wing and sending him tumbling to the ground.

"Gallade!" Ash shouted in alarm, "Focus blast!" he gave up with the mental commands.

The close range fighting attack hit, knocking Metagross backwards and all the way out of the field, hitting the side wall. Riley winced slightly. "Can't you be a bit kinder Ash?" he called, returning his dual type.

Gallade remained standing for only a few moments. _"I feel a bit faint."_ He said, moments before tumbling to the ground.

Ash returned his psychic fighting type. "Great job." He muttered to the Pokéball, before clipping it to his belt and sending out Charizard again. "Burn them down!" he called, as he revitalised dragon let out a triumphant roar.

The fresh snow Pokémon sighed in annoyance, but obeyed her trainer's instructions to keep hitting the Dragonite who had been brought to the ground, one wing frozen.

"_Thaw him out."_ Ash was trying mental communication with Charizard. If it failed, it only worked because Tristan was psychic; if it worked he was going to quiz Riley on aura communications later.

"_On it,"_ Shard spat an ember at Rago. _"What now?"_

"Thrash!"

"_Dodge that Ursaring!"_ Ash glanced wide eyed, trying to keep track of the other three battlers. Rago was still grounded, but shooting an outrage at the newly appeared Ursaring. Charizard had taken to the skies, avoiding the ice beams from Leah, the Glaceon, and firing his own; dragon fire raining back down towards the field.

"Use blizzard!" Cynthia called. "Get rid of that Dragonite!"

The air froze, and Charizard flew higher to avoid the cold, shooting his own fire blast and overheat mix down, trying to number the attack, but the Glaceon had gotten too close.

With a sigh Lance returned his fainted dragon. "I hate ice types." He sighed, throwing out Gyrados. "Flamethrower!"

"Galcee!" With a squeak, Glaceon dodged away from the famed red Gyrados, using quick attack.

"Use thunder punch..!" Riley called, trying to take down the sea serpent.

"Oh no, you _don't,"_ Ash snapped. _"Drop in an aerial ace and use seismic toss. Flame it."_

Lance watched as Shard's snarl grew almost maniacal, the dragon reaching the peak of his flight before dropping like a stone towards the Ursaring.

Riley cursed. "Io! Aim it at Charizard!"

"And burn." Ash smiled, watching the flames cascade down towards the field. Gyrados coated his scales in water, barely feeling them, as Lance asked for another flamethrower of his own towards the dodging Glaceon.

"Use hail!" Cynthia called, hoping that Leah's ability might get her to avoid some of the attacks.

"Ice fang!" Lance ordered instead, Gyrados lunging through the snow, but the image of Glaceon faded into the mist.

The field was now split into two; the swirling icy storm, and the fiery inferno which no sooner reached the ground that sprung back up, a bear tightly in its grip.

"_Can you manage a light protect from the thunder punch?"_ Ash asked.

"_I'm already using flame thrower, fire spin and seismic toss. What more do you want me to do?"_

"_I'm just asking!"_

The crowd oo-ed and ah-ed as the Charizard tackled the bear to about fifty metres above the field, before dropping.

"Ursaring!" Riley called out in alarm. "Hammer arm! Get out!"

"Not a chance." Ash gritted his teeth. Charizard was already tired, and this was a last minute option. "How's the Glaceon going?"

"It's not." Lance squinted into the mist.

"I don't think Shard's going to manage this." Ash observed the falling flaming dragon. "But my next choice is Luxray. If you can use rain dance…"

Lance smirked. "I'm on it. Gyrados! Waterfall! Then rain dance!"

Simultaneously, Charizard and Ursaring crashed into the ground, shaking the field. There was a cloud of dust, hovering above the horizontal, and for a moment Riley and Ash stared into it, trying to see the fate of their Pokémon.

"Both Charizard and Ursaring have been knocked out." The referee signalled. "Please send out your next choice."

Riley threw out his Lucario, who was already forming an aura sphere.

Ash smirked. "Go get 'em Lux!"

The battle hungry cat materialised running, the rain sparking against his damp fur. Glaceon had just managed to dodge another flamethrower, when something slammed into her, sending her flying out of the ring.

"_What is it with you and throwing Pokémon about?" _Pikachu mentally asked Ash, shivering slightly by his neck.

Glaceon blinked, dazed, "Ceo?" (What hit me?) she asked, "GlaLa-Ah Ceo." (Feel like a Wailord).

"Return," Cynthia recalled her dazed, practically unconscious Pokémon. "Okay, now it's serious." She glared at the Luxray. His fur was still sparking and his fangs were bared. "Garchomp battle dance!" she pointed to the shiny Gyrados. "Get rid of the left overs."

Lance curses. "Ice beam!" he called, but Garchomp vanished in a dig attack.

"Ice fang!" Ash called out as well.

"Get in the way Lucario! Aura sphere!"

Lux was charging towards where Garchomp had vanished when Aaron appeared in front of him. The Lucario whirled around with a bone rush.

Lux didn't stop running. Instead he let the static crackle, flaring into flames in a mock flame charge attack. Lucario met it head on, sending both of them flying backwards, fangs gleaming and claws sharp, ready for the next round.

"What?" Lance blinked. "How did he learn that?" He exclaimed. "They can't do that!"

Ash shrugged. "I just sort of go with it." He admitted. "Jump!" he called.

Lux obeyed, leaping into the air just in time to avoid the dig from Garchomp, who snarled at her lost prey. Lucario too had changed targets, throwing a thunder punch which caught Gyrados at a point blank distance, knocking the shiny serpent out.

Lance sighed, recalling him. "I hate double weaknesses." He sighed, before throwing out a three headed pseudo.

Cynthia, Riley and Ash simultaneously balked at seeing the Hydreigon.

"A little warning," Ash winced. "Next time you use that thing."

The champion waved it off. "Surf!" he called.

"Lux!" Ash turned to his electric type who was hovering above the field using magnet rise. "Use thunder on the water."

"Charge them!" Cynthia called. "Dragon rush!"

"Leap up!" Riley called. "Triple aura sphere!"

Ash focussed in on his original target, but patiently waited for Luxray to finish electrocuting the water. Lance had ordered a hyper voice to try and hit the charging land shark, while the aura spheres were falling like rain.

"_Hey Lux?"_ he asked _How do you feel about conducting lightning?"_

The cat actually paused to consider it. "_Will it hurt?" _he asked.

"_Probably."_

"_Sure."_ Ash tried not to roll his eyes at his masochistic Luxray, instead instructing him about what to do. The rain dance was still going, water thundering down. Garchomp hated the rain, but persevered, exchanging blows with the other pseudo. Lucario was keeping his distance with aura spheres and dark pulses. The clouds above were growing dark and rumbling slightly.

"Lance."

"Yes?"

"Get Hydreigon to use protect."

It was the only warning the champion was going to get, as the sky flashed white, and lightning struck down from the sky, crashing upon the water damp field, and lighting up everything in its path, directed by a certain gleam eyed lion.

When the glare faded from people's eyes, they observed a smoking Lucario, and a knocked out Garchomp, although how the electric attack had hit the ground type was still to be determined. Lux himself looked ridiculously pleased, blinking a bit dazed.

"_That."_ He mentally professed to Ash. _"Was awesome." _a second before falling over in a faint.

* * *

><p><strong>("So you and Lance won?" Dawn asked, glancing at the two.<strong>

"**That battle, yes," Lance nodded.**

"**Oh don't be modest." May smiled. "You won the whole thing!"**

**Ash shrugged. "Sure we did," he tried not to dislodge his snoozing girlfriend. "What did you expect?"**

"**I suppose for you to show a little bit of modesty would be too much to ask for?" Gary sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair.**

**Ash shot him a grin. "We headed for Ecruteak then, and guess who we bumped into?"**

"**I have a feeling you're going to tell us.")**

* * *

><p><strong>[15:04PM] –<strong>** 29****th**** August2004 – Johto – Ecruteak City – Burned Tower**

"No legendary beasts here." Lance glanced around at the ash stained wood. "Why are we sight-seeing again?" he glanced over to where Riley and Cynthia were examining the stone floor beneath them. "Oh that's right." He sighed. "We've got the two myth lovers with us." He sighed.

"Let them spend time together." Ash paused next to him, Pikachu perched on his shoulder. "Cynthia's going to Unova to spend the rest of her summer. Then she had to go back to Sinnoh to monitor the repairs at Lake Valor."

"I can't wait until the spring battling season starts up again." Lance sighed. "We just bunk down in the elite rooms with popcorn to watch the battles."

"Really…? You just sit there, watching them twenty-four seven?"

Lance stuck his hands in his pockets, "Of course it's the point we issue elite challenges out for the early summer. Not to mention all that legal stuff about the new trainers for the next year, so it's a break before all that to see how the trainers have done."

"And here I thought you actually did _work_." Ash looked horror-struck. "But all you do is sit around during the spring conferences, and then travel for the rest of the year on _vacation_."

"We have to open some of the conferences with battles." Lance tried to defend his position. "Bruno taught his fighting types ice punch as well!"

"Well woe is you." Ash sighed, heading for the stairs to descend to the bottom floor. A Gastly pulled a face out of sight, but Ash ignored it, dropping down to the lower level.

The lamplight from above made looming shadows on the rocky basement floor. Large boulders were heaped along the place. Ash glanced up, seeing the vague shapes of Riley and Cynthia still murmuring over the legend.

He walked forwards, feeling Pikachu's fur spark against his cheek, as he moved towards the centre of the building.

A dark shadow stepped out, head down and Ash stopped suddenly. How did Lance get in front of him all of a sudden? He glanced at the purple hair. This _wasn't_ Lance. The champion was taller than him, a fact he never ceased to rub in his face. Ash glanced down at the Weavile at the stranger's side for confirmation.

"Paul?"

His rival's head snapped up, the same time that Lance walked into the back of Ash. The raven stumbled slightly before turning around with a scowl. "Lance. Can't you at least _look _where you're going?"

"It's not my fault if you stop in front of me!" the champion complained, glancing past Ash at the purple haired trainer. "Sorry." He said, directing it more to Paul than to Ash.

"Ash…?" Paul glanced at the yellow mouse that waved cheekily at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Travelling through Johto," Ash shrugged. "Riley calls it training. I don't believe him."

"I don't think we've met." Lance held out a hand. "Lance Wataru."

"PikaPika." (I think he knows who you are.) Pikachu chirped.

Paul looked slightly awestruck, but not that much. "Paul Reed." He took the hand, letting go as soon as possible. He still didn't appear like a friendly hug-sort of person then. "I was looking for Champion Cynthia actually." He blinked. "Ran into the wrong champion," he added, gruffly.

_There are some people_, Ash mused _who just didn't change_. Paul was not one of those people. In the past, he would have promptly barged past them towards the stairs, after meeting the 'wrong' champion. Now he stayed standing, Weavile looking far-happier than the last time Ash had seen him.

"Why's it always Cynthia?" Lance grumbled.

"She's upstairs actually." Ash nodded upwards. "With Riley... I wouldn't interrupt them for a while though; they're a bit too deep into the myths and legends of this place to hear what you might try to say."

"Why are you looking for her?" Lance asked, curiously, making no attempt to be subtle.

"I want a rematch." Paul answered shortly, glancing at Ash. The guardian knew which time he was talking about.

"Good luck." Ash wished him. "I know you don't want it and probably don't need it, but it's there all the same."

"PiPikachu!"

Paul looked distinctively uncomfortable. "Thanks." He said shortly.

"What are you doing in Johto anyway?" Ash asked, "Apart from stalking the Sinnoh Champ?"

"None of your business," Paul snapped, pushing past Ash and making for the stairs.

Lance glanced at Ash. "He isn't very friendly, is he?"

Ash ignored the champion, pursuing Paul up the stairs. "Don't walk away! Paul!" caught sight of the purple haired trainer. "How did your rematch with Brandon go?"

Riley and Cynthia stopped talking, glancing over to Ash and Paul. The purple haired trainer shrugged sullenly. "I beat him."

Ash sighed. Pulling answers from Paul was like trying to explain physics to his Luxray. "Fine!" he held up his hand, calling over to the pair, "Challenger for ya' Cynth!"

As all gazes turned to Paul, who looked alarmed to be in the limelight, Lance appeared up on the ground floor. "Don't leave me down there." He snapped at Ash. "It's creepy and I feel like I'm being watched."

"You are." Riley and Ash spoke in unison, exchanged amused looks, and then Ash continued. "Morty has his Gastly watch the place. It's been hiding in the shadows since we entered."

"How did you…" Lance began, but stopped. "Never mind; Guardians…" He muttered, with the same tone one would use when complaining about 'teachers'. "Should we go outside?" he asked, ignoring whatever the others had to say and heading outside anyway.

Ash followed, pausing to glance down at the basement area. For a moment he could have sworn he saw three shadows, a flicker of fire, ice and lightning but… that would mean…

_Nah_… he must have been imagining it.

* * *

><p><strong>("Did Paul and Cynthia have their battle?" Dawn asked eyes curious. "He hasn't told me <strong>_**any**_** of this."**

**Lance shook his head. "They post-phoned it. Paul was redoing the Johto League and the only reason he hung around Ecruteak was because of the rumours that Cynthia was there."**

"**What about the rumours that the Johto Champ was there?" May teased him, "Did nobody care about you that much?"**

"**You probably would have been in there like a shot." Max snickered. "Have you told Lance how you…" A stapler narrowly missed the youngster's head and he wisely shut up.**

"**So where next?" Misty murmured sleepily from where she was buried against Ash. "Mahogany..?"**

"**Back to Mahogany," Ash nodded. "Riley and I had to shut down some Rare Candy dealers. After that we did finally made it to Blackthorn. I don't really remember much of or travels. It's that tedious sort of thing filled with stupid conversation just to pass the time. Riley was heartbroken at Cynthia heading back to Sinnoh, Lance kept blabbing on about how brilliant Blackthorn City was…"**

"**I was not blabbing!"**

"**You blab." May told him, not looking up from the keyboard. "Face it."**

"**Lance didn't believe me when I told him that Lux invented a way for him to use flame charge by himself."**

"**I still don't." the champion muttered.**

**Ash paused. "I think he might have made it up after watching me teach Floatzel how to combine his aqua jet and ice fang. Or maybe Rai's method of using dig and then iron tail on the hole riddled battlefield to create a sort of earthquake, stone edge type attack for any fire Pokémon."**

"**Isn't that when I got Clair to battle you?"**

"**Might have been," Ash looked slightly apprehensive. "I can't remember that next bit at all. Just the fact that Eelektrik used thief on my bag at some point to steal the thunderstone, deciding it was time to evolve. Almost gave Rai a heart attack at seeing the thing."**

"**Well we went back to Blackthorn." Lance told May, "And I asked Ash…"**

"**Forced me…"**

"**Asked him to battle Clair," Lance continued. "She was using her strongest team, Kingdra, Dragonite, Charizard, Aerodactyl, Gyrados, Dragonair, and I challenged Ash to use only one type."**

"**I picked electrics." Ash explained, "Since there was no way I'd let Rai not battle. Lance however…"**

"**I was under the impression that he had more in his team that he actually did… but he only had four: Arrin, Lux, Rai and Ter. It was lucky that Clair's team had weaknesses to electricity being part flying or water. Either that or he just got Luxray to use ice fang." Lance said, "I just wanted to get a gauge of his battling style against the strongest gym leader."**

"**That's when out of the blue, he offered me an elite challenge."**

* * *

><p><strong>[18:48PM] – 2<strong>**nd**** October 2004 - Johto – Blackthorn City – Dragon Clan Halls**

"I'm sorry." Ash blinked at the champion stroke friend. "I don't think I heard you right."

"KakaChu!" (At last!) Pikachu's ears were upright, entirely focussed on the red haired champion.

"Oh, you heard me." Lance looked so smug, "I want you to battle the elite four."

Ash narrowed his brown eyes at the dragon tamer. Nearby Clair was fuming silently, and Riley had slowly begun to edge away from the gym leader's temper tantrum. "Why?" Ash asked suspiciously. If this was some ploy just to wind up Lance's cousin he wasn't buying it and with someone like Riley for a mentor, who would suggest something 'fun' and it then turns out to be abseiling down a hundred foot cliff, Ash was wondering what the catch was.

Lance raised an eyebrow, "Because I think you're a good trainer. I saw your Sinnoh battles. You're the only one who took down that freaking Darkrai. Cynthia didn't offer that guy a challenge because, well, let's face it. If he had a Latios and Darkrai, what else might he have? Then recently, in that tag battle your Luxray freakin' electrocuted a _ground_ type. _Cynthia's_ Garchomp no less… well… I'd be stupid not to."

"You can just… _offer this_… out of the blue… to just anyone?"

"Chu!" (Don't complain!) Rai chided me, eyes blazing with excitement.

"Well, not anyone." He seemed not to notice his friend's disbelief. "If a person wins at a League Conference, they're usually offered a challenge. Otherwise a home region can offer a challenge to any trainer who had competed in five plus leagues and come within the top ten in at least four of them."

"I've only competed in four." Ash frowned. "And I came above top ten in only three of them."

"Kanto Battle Frontier counts." He answered without blinking. "As does the Orange for that matter, although most people look down on it because of its different style of challenges. It focusses more on bonds and skills than strategy and power."

"What's the catch?" The trainer glanced at Clair who had stalked off somewhere, obviously annoyed with her cousin. There had been rumours that she had been vying for an elite position for _years_ but because Lance already specialised in dragon-types, she was out of luck until Lance quit or transferred to the Kanto elite.

"No catch." Lance smiled, "A genuine offer, although if you specialised in a type we'd prefer it. Some, like Cynthia and Alder don't, but it's usually preferred, no idea why. The guy who won the Silver Conference when you competed in it… what was his name…" Lance frowned for a moment, "Never mind." He eventually shrugged. "His team was mixed, and we offered him a challenge, and he managed to defeat Will but Koga beat him."

"Was that the Johto challenge?" Ash asked. He had met the elites from Kanto, but not the two Johto exclusive elites.

The red head nodded. "Johto line up is Will, Koga, Bruno, Karen and then me, as Champion, while the Kanto line up is Lorelei, Koga, Agatha, Bruno and then me. Bruno, Koga and I are a part of both – we're still trying to separate them entirely but it's a bit slow at the moment. Who knows? If you are any good, and manage to beat at least three elites… that's the minimum… if the League want to offer you a position as an elite you have to have beaten at least three of them. Well if you somehow manage that then we can shuffle Bruno off to join Johto permanently."

Slowly Ash nodded, taking it in. Riley, who had stood nearby, listening, stepped forwards. "Well I think you should do it!" he announced, eyes twinkling happily. At his side Aaron nodded emphatically, letting out a happy bark.

Ash glanced at him. "You wouldn't mind?" he asked, surprised. "I thought you haven't finished training me?"

He scoffed. "Ash, if there is anything more I can teach you then you could probably work it out yourself. You've been a full aura guardian for months; I just stayed around to pick up some battling techniques from you. Your Charizard taught Salamence how to combine dragon fire and fire blast the other day. Unless you _want _me to give you step by step instructions…"

"No thanks." Ash hastened to comment. "What are you going to do then? Go back to Sinnoh and become a gym leader?"

This was the end of their journey he realised, and he was going to miss the older guardian. They had been around Sinnoh and Johto together, and now it all ended here, in Blackthorn City.

"Hell no," Riley looked pained, "I need to travel!" the idea of being confined to one space was atrocious. Ash had no idea why he staked out Iron Island like he did then. "I'll stick to what I do best – guardian and all that."

His Lucario let out a happy bark.

"Then, okay…" Ash turned back to Lance, Pikachu leaping to the floor, electricity crackling. Behind him, Infernape chattered happily, and his newly evolve Eelektross did a little dance.

"Challenge accepted."

* * *

><p><strong>August 2013 – This totally non-planned chapter turned out better than I thought, with that double battle I threw in because I could. The battle wasn't terribly well written but then again, its hard to keep track of four Pokemon at once. Next chapter Ash sees Misty again, gets love advice from Charizard and begins his elite four challenges!<strong>

**I totally skipped a Thursday, so thank you guys for still reviewing with such positive feedback! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**~ Eclipse**


	29. The Very Best

**Chapter 29 – The Very Best**

"_We were all just swimming in the calm water, the still lake. But there was a storm coming, and it was there, brimming on the horizon and the air was heavy and clouds rolled overhead. Yet somehow, the whole world managed to ignore it." _Lance

* * *

><p><strong>("Finally, after six months or so without a goal, without a purpose, I had been offered a chance on a silver platter. And this time, I was not going to let it slip through my fingers. I headed back to Kanto, stopping off at the ranch in Pallet to switch Infernape and Gabite for Feraligatr and Swellow, and picking up the Feebas which I had, until then, had no idea what to do with, before heading to Cerulean City, or to be more specific: Cerulean City Gym."<strong>

**There was a coo from Leaf and Dawn. "That is **_**so**_** sweet," the blunette sighed dreamily. **

"**Hey Gary?" Leaf asked, "Why don't you give me cool Pokémon?"**

**Said researcher spluttered. "I… I didn't know you wanted anything…" he blustered, ignoring the snickers from Ash, Lance and Brock.**

"**He's wrapped around her little finger." Lance shook his head. "Poor guy..."**

**His elite shot him a look. "You can't talk – some of the stuff May drags you into…" he trailed off, shaking his head and trying not to laugh. "At least I protest when Misty tries something like that with me."**

"**You're just nice and caring anyway," Misty chirped, with a smile, making Ash actually blush slightly. Rai snorted from his rug.**

"**Only when you're concerned!" Ash winked at her.)**

* * *

><p><strong>[16:04PM]– <strong>**19****th**** November 2004 – Kanto - ****Cerulean City – Cerulean Gym**

Ash swallowed, one hand raised to knock on the door of the Cerulean Gym.

"Are you sure she won't kill me?" he asked Rai for what was probably the sixth time.

The mouse rolled his dark eyes. "KaaChu!" he chided, pointing at the door. (Just knock already!)

Ash took a deep breath, and brought his fist down in a sharp knock on the door. With each thud, his heart pounded louder in my chest and for a moment, he wondered if it wasn't going to beat out altogether.

The guardian could hear the frustrated snap of annoyance, and a pitiful quack and he smiled, even as the door creaked open to reveal the gym leder, standing in front of him, one hand on her hip, wearing a pale blue tracksuit with a swimsuit underneath. Her fleece was only half zipped up, and her eyes, blues and greens of the sea, bore into auburn brown, so dark they were almost red.

She blinked.

"Ash?" her voice was layered with disbelief. "Ash Ketchum?"

Ash felt himself grinning at just being there once again with her. It gave him happiness high as he shot back, "I think I know my own name Mist."

Pikachu chirped out a greeting, even as Misty narrowed her eyes, in evident annoyance, and reaching for what was probably her mallet. Ash wanted to avoid a scene, or making her angry, because Mew, this was the first time he had seen her in a long while. He raised both hands in air, "Hey! Whoa!" Ash yelped, at her burning gaze, which stung. "Please don't hit me! I swear! It was Riley's fault! He's the one who brought the explosives! I didn't know what he was going to do with them and I didn't really question it when he asked me to put them in the Eterna base! I swear it's all, his fault." The trainer had lost track of what he was babbling, words just kept flowing out of his mouth no matter how much he wished for them to stop.

The gym leader paused, arm dropping to her side. "You what?" she asked, still slightly in shock at seeing Ash standing there, a new blue hooded jacket, dark cargo pants and the usual peaked hat, white with a red peak and blue League symbol on it. Her first reaction of anger had thankfully been averted, and now he had to deal with the confusion. "Gee Ash it's been… months since I last saw you and you waltz in going on about explosives."

Ash winced; not his best move.

"It _was _Riley's fault." he repeated stubbornly; mind doing little happy dances and not really concentrating on words, because this was _Misty!_ Here, after several years, it was just Misty and him together once more. He had missed her so much and… when had he started staring at her eyes?

He blinked at the oceanic turquoise. He had thought them blue before, but they really weren't. You'd think they'd be blue, the colour of the water she loved so much, but they weren't. They were a deep blue-green. Green was the colour of life, and he couldn't think of someone who had more life and spirit in her than Misty. Then he could no longer stare at them – why was he staring anyway? – because Misty had leapt forwards to through her arms around him, pulling him close, her head buried against his neck.

"Uh… Mist..?" Ash asked, shifting so the pair did not both fall sprawling across the ground. Pikachu had leapt to the ground for safety, and was cooing happily.

"You couldn't even write a letter? I missed you. Git." she mumbled into his shoulder, and Ash patted her back, trying to silently apologise.

"I missed you too." He admitted voice thick, "I never stopped thinking about you. Got you a present - hope you like it - it's nothing much but still… I know you deserve more and I'm sorry about the letters. I did send you a postcard but I think it got lost in the mail." Lost in the mail – it never actually reached the mail because Ash couldn't figure out how to talk to her, and it ended up being eaten by Torterra. The other various letters were either burnt by Torkoal, screwed up in the bottom of his bag, or had been confiscated by Riley as blackmail material.

Finally she stepped back, and Ash found himself missing the comforting warmth in his arms. "You might as well come on in." she said, glancing around the street to check nobody saw her public display of affection. "I have a challenger later." She added, stepping aside to let the guardian in, "But you can stay and watch."

Stepping into the building, Ash automatically stepped past Pysduck who was sleeping by the umbrella stand, the stand itself not holding any umbrellas. The silence was thick and awkward, and he tried to think of a topic of conversation, if only to avoid the inevitably angry outburst. "You still enjoy running the gym?" he asked, seemingly in response to her comment about the challenger.

Ash could see the way her eyes brightened, and then dimmed slightly. "I wish sometimes my sisters would help but if I wasn't a gym leader I don't know what I would be."

"Water Pokémon master?" he teased, reminding her of her own long time goal.

She laughed, quipping back, "I'm quite happy being the best water Pokémon gym leader in Kanto…but what about you … you were in Sinnoh for a bit right?" Yeah, quite a bit, before being dragged off to Johto. "I watched your battles for the conference." She had? "But where did you go afterwards? Brock thought you were going to Unova." She pushed open the gym door and Ash stepped through, into the open airy poolside of the main gym.

It looked just like it had last time he was here, two floating platforms and a lifeguard seat at the far end, beneath a painting of the cascade badge. "I - ah - missed the boat back to Kanto." he admitted, nervously, "So I decided to stay in Sinnoh and explore a bit. Mount Coronet mostly."

"Catch any new Pokémon?" she asked brightly, interrupting his story, and Ash perked up, easily able to talk about his new team.

"Sure thing." he chirped. "It's like you don't know me at all Mist!" the trainer joked, "I have got a new team built up and I trained up some older ones. Want to see?" he offered, gaze still flitting around the pool.

Misty had perched near the edge, and Pikachu hopped forwards to say hello, while Ash moved towards her new Pokémon swimming within. . "I see you got some new Pokémon too." he breathed, looking at them – the large transport Pokémon, a dual type ground and water and a small blue fluffball. A rumble from the pool startled him slightly as her Gyrados emerged, water glistening off its blue scales, reminding him of Lance's own, red specimen. "Well I've met you before big fellow." The raven haired trainer smiled at the sea monster, before gesturing over his shoulder. "And I saw Psyduck on the way in." His gaze fell on her purple star and pink rock, "Starmie and Corsola too." He nodded at them.

"Meet my Lapras and Quagsire." Misty smiled. "Oh, and you met Marill - but she was an Azurill back then."

Said blue fluff ball scurried forwards, hopping into Ash's arms and he caught her, stroking her soft blue and white fur. Ash mentally winced at her cry of "Marrilll!" (Daddy) and shot Pikachu, who had the gall to snicker, a venomous glare.

The water and ground type waddled up. "QuagQuagsire." (Nice to meet you).

Ash smirked at the sight. "Sorry buddy." he shrugged to Rai. "Misty's got a ground type now to counter your electricity. She must be tired of all those kids with Pikachu's winning against her."

"You did not win!" Misty snapped, stubbornly.

He didn't want to fight. "Of course not." he sighed, "We drew, remember?"

"Pah." She still looked annoyed. "You wish."

Oh yeah, that reminded him. "Want to meet the Totodile we were fighting over?"

She glanced at Ash warily. "Is he going to do his crazy dance again?"

He laughed at the image of Ferligatr dancing a tap dance. "Hah. Hardly." he scoffed, tossing forwards his Lure Ball. His large crocodile emerged, blinking at his surroundings. "Galatr?" he asked his trainer curiously. (This is Cerulean?)

Misty gasped. "He evolved! Wow – Feraligatr is so…" she seemed to be struggling for a word, and instead hopped forward to give the water type a hug. Said water type looked bemused at the red headed water fanatic. "Gaa?" (Is this normal?)

"Yes." Ash chorused, along with several other Pokémon. Misty stepped back from the croc, glaring the group into silence.

Ash hurriedly changed the subject, trying to keep on her good side so she didn't remember how much she was annoyed at him and decided to beat him up with her mallet. Where she kept the bloody thing was always a mystery.

The guardian pulled out Feebas in her premier ball. "Found this little gal in Mount Coronet." He enlarged it in his hand. "They have some pretty pools up the mountain. She's for you Mist, to raise and train, being a water type and all. Anyway, she's not much to look at now but I'm sure she'll evolve soon…" he trailed off, letting the ball burst open in a cloud of red light, as Feebas materialised on the floor.

"Fee…" the fish chugged, happily. Ash saw Misty's eyes widen in shock, then joy, and then he once again found himself with Misty in his arms. Some part of him was beginning to enjoy the feeling.

"Gah! Mist!" Ash stumbled slightly under the force of impact. "I can't breathe!" he protested, and she hastily let go.

"Thank you." she said, turquoise eyes brimming with emotion. "My sisters will tell you how long I've been looking for a Feebas. How did you know?"

He felt a sense of relief wash over him. She did actually want to poor thing, and had space in her rota for it. "Know? I guessed. Wallace of Hoenn, the coordinator, specialises in water Pokémon and I figured you'd probably idolise him. Luxray almost electrocuted her…" the trainer paused to wince "…so I had to capture her to take her to a Pokémon centre. I thought you might like to train her."

"Like to?" Misty squealed, "I'd love to. You hear that little girl? You're going to be a brilliant Milotic one day!" this seemed to cheer the fish up, as she clapping her fins together happily. Misty glanced back at Ash curiously. "Wait. Luxray? What Pokémon do you have?"

He smirked, fishing his other four Pokémon from his magnetic belt and tossing those forwards, releasing his team. Luxray looked unbothered by his surroundings, while Eelektross skipped happily over to his best friend – Feraligatr. Lanturn ended up in the water, next to the Lapras, while Swellow stood on the side, next to Misty's Marill.

"What is that Pokémon?"

Ash followed her gaze. "That's Eelektross." he explained. "He's a Unova Pokémon, electric type. Someone gave me a Tynamo, his first evolution, and he then evolved into a Eelektrik. He found a thunder stone buried in some rocks on Iron Island and eventually evolved into his final form."

She whistled, impressed. "Four electric types?" she asked. "Pikachu, Luxray, Eelektross and Lantern..." Ash could hear the curiosity in her voice.

"I decided to specialise after I realised I had four." Ash admitted. "Then Lance offered me a challenge and I picked electric. My challenge is in about six months. I still need to find two more but I reckon I could manage with just five provided I find the right one."

"Wait, wait, and wait? An elite challenge?" he could hear her mingled shock and excitement, as he continued to muse over the upcoming elite four challenges.

The aura guardian nodded absentmindedly. "I was thinking of maybe raising an Elekid but Paul already has one and it's not that appealing. I was going to go to Johto and look for a Mareep maybe… a Jolteon would do to but Eevee's are so rare it'd be hard to find one. I also wouldn't want to force it to evolve - it might prefer to be a Vaporeon or Espeon - Heck - even a Leafeon." he was rambling again, trying to work out what other electric types would fit with his current team.

"An_ elite_ challenge?" she repeated. Ash wondered if her hearing was okay after spending so much time swimming.

"Yes. Ampharos are quite powerful. There was this Flaafy I ran into a couple of months back. She might want to tag along with me…" That was quite a good idea actually… she had wanted to come along last time but was too young, but surely an exception could be made…

"An elite challenge against the Kanto elite? Against the champion? Against Lance?"

Ash wondered if Misty was entirely clear on what they were talking about. "Yes. The moron. You know he tried to go off on his own to take down these Hunter renegades and got into trouble." Ash and Riley had refrained from telling him how they had actually been caught for several hours, and allowed the champion to believe they were 'staking out' the safari zone. "Riley and I had to bail him out as usual. That's not counting the Mahogany Underground Rocket circle we broke into only to find Lance already there. We told him we were handling it!"

"Agatha, Lorelei, Bruno and Lance? Dragon Master Lance? Water Master Lorelei Prima? Lorelei?"

Was she repeating the line-up of elites he had to face just to make him nervous?

"Yes, her too. Haven't met her since the Orange Islands. Haven't been there in a while." Maybe that would be a good place to train… wasn't Mount Ember meant to harbour Moltres? Wait… what was Lorelei doing in the Orange Islands? Lance had said she was native to Sevii…

"Ash!" Misty's voice snapped him into focus.

"Yes? Misty?" he asked, amiably, before noting her pissed off expression.

"You are going to explain to me right now what in Kyogre's name you are talking about! Got it! Right! Now start talking you prat!"

Uh oh. So much for not annoying her.

* * *

><p><strong>("Misty allowed me to stay over, and spend some time with her, in between her frequent and many gym battles. She had, despite my attempts for her not to, given me the silent treatment for a little while after that, until I eventually gave in a popped over to Pewter on Pidgeot to visit Brock. Wherupon I was ambushed and forced into a topic that I had heard more than enough of from Riley.")<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>[13:45PM] – 12<strong>**th**** December 2004 - Pewter City – Pewter Gym**

"So," Brock began, in a voice the preluded a talking to. "You and Misty huh…?"

Ash glanced up, blinking. "Me and Misty what?" he asked, not quite sure what his friend was getting at.

"You like her."

Ash frowned. "Well, yes. She's one of my best friends, along with you of course." He shot the breeder a lopsided grin.

The quint eyed man sighed. "Well I hope you don't like me the way you like Misty. No, Ash, don't try to hide it. It's obvious you like her a lot."

The raven haired man nodded. "Well yeah, we have known each other for about six years or so."

Exasperated, Brock snapped, "We've known each other for six years too but it's not my house you're staying over at!"

Ash shot him a bewildered glance. "Gee, Brock, if you wanted me to stay over you just needed to ask. I thought though with your siblings, your studying, the gym… and I haven't seen Misty for ages…"

"See!" Brock was almost crying at his friend's thick head. "It always comes back to Misty. So just admit it already! You love her!"

"I …what…?" Ash blinked. "When were we talking about love? And who are _you_ to advise me on love?" He'd already had to sit through the most awkward conversation of his life when Riley decided to talk about girls, and for some reason the aura guardian seemed fixated on the Sinnoh Champion. Riley had taken it upon himself to lecture Ash on the subject (both girls in general and Cynthia Shirona) and the poor trainer now knew far too many things he wished he had never heard of before.

Croakgunk was sitting in the corner of the room and Brock shot his poison fighting type a nervous glance. "Listen, Ash, so I may not be able to get a girl, but you have one already and you don't even realise it."

"Me … and _Misty_…?" Ash laughed. "You've got to be kidding."

"How do you feel about her?" Brock challenged.

The raven haired teen frowned. "She… she's _Misty_. She's the irritating red-head with a hot temper that can look after herself, a brilliant battler, fierce and proud and…" he paused in his list of adjectives. "She's Misty." He finished shrugging.

He so did not want this conversation.

"Is she pretty?"

"Yes." Ash narrowed his eyes. "Which brings about the question as to why you never flirted with her?"

The Pewter Gym leader waved it off. "I know not to broach upon another man's woman." He said, before turning back to Ash. "Don't change the subject." He warned, "We are still talking about you and Misty and I am going to sit here until you admit it to me. Pikachu get the door."

"Traitor," Ash grumbled at the mouse, which waved cheekily at him.

"So… May..."

"I thought we were talking about Misty?"

"We are." Brock shrugged. "But let's do this my way first. How do you feel about May?"

Ash frowned. "Isn't she dating Drew?" he asked.

Brock blinked, quite an achievement for someone with closed eyes. "Really?" he asked. The aura guardian opened his mouth to respond but Brock interrupted. "Stop changing the subject!"

"But I'm not…"

"No."

Ash sighed in defeat.

"How do you feel about Misty?" Brock pressed.

"I don't know." Ash was staring glumly at the table. "I mean… I haven't seen her for ages. I missed her, in Sinnoh and Hoenn, and she runs the gym now. She's a brilliant gym leader. I gave her a Feebas and she's working on evolving it into a Milotic. She's practically stolen Ter to help train her Chinchou up to a higher level. She the girl whose hit me with a mallet and then rush over in concern if I tripped over a rock. She's like fire and water at the same time, fierce and brave and yet calm, loving and…" he stopped, glaring at Brock. "Stop looking for so smug."

"You love her." The breeder teased him. "Finally - It only took you six years to realise the truth in your heart." He sighed with relief, and Pikachu hopped away from the door, face palming slightly. Ash's eyes drifted towards the unguarded door. "Now all we need to do is to get you two together."

"What?" Ash's gaze snapped back to Brock. "No way; she's my best friend. I'm not going to mess that up by doing something I'll regret."

"But Ash…"

"No." he said firmly, "Absolutely not! I am not talking about this with you Brock. I am not taking any advice you might give me. No. _No_. Enough said. If you continue to persist upon this path then I shall vacate the premises."

The breeder blinked. "When did you learn such big words?"

Ash ignored him, and turned around to stalk towards the door.

Once outside, and safety hidden next to Shard, he let himself slide down to the floor. "How did you know?" he asked his Charizard, "That you were in love with Charla?"

The dragon paused for a moment to consider it. "CharSzard," He growled softly. (There was no other.) "Charr," (Only her)

Ash ran a hand through his hair, pulling his hat off. "It… it has always been her." He admitted. "But love? Really…?"

"ZardCharr…?" (You love Misty…?) Shard asked, craning his neck around to peer at his trainer.

"Gah!" Ash flung his hat on the ground. "How come everyone can guess its Misty?"

His dragon laughed, "ZaarrArr." (Maybe because it's obvious)

"Is it though? I don't think it's obvious." Ash sighed.

Charizard crouched down, blinking slowly. "CharraZarrArdCah. CharrZardShaarr…?" (Think of it this way. If there was one person that you could not live without, who would it be?) The fire lizard paused. "ZarrArr GrahCharr?" (Or when you were in Sinnoh, who did you miss the most?)

The aura guardian sighed. "Misty." He admitted, leaning back against Shard's flank. "So this is what love feels like, huh?"

* * *

><p><strong>("That's so sweet!" Dawn squealed. She'd been saying that a lot at intermittent points throughout the tale.<strong>

**Ash rolled his eyes, but smiled down at the red-head in his arms. "Still, it's a bit embarrassing I got love advice from my Charizard."**

**Misty shrugged. "Don't worry. I had my sister's teasing me about it for so long, I actually believed myself when I denied it. Then, when we actually started dating and I told them, they didn't believe me anymore."**

**May finished typing at her computer, and glanced around. "What next?" she asked, scrolling down the page.**

"**Brock and Rai somehow engineered a reservation at a fancy restaurant in Viridian, and took me and Misty there, separately of course, and left us there, with the threat that if we didn't sit there, he'd force us to pay. So we agreed, and made the most of Brock paying for a fancy dinner, and after an awkward start, we did actually have fun.")**

* * *

><p><strong>[20:02PM] – 30<strong>**th**** December 2004 - Kanto – Viridian City – Restaurant**

The dark haired trainer awkwardly pushed his spaghetti around on my plate with a fork. "This is all Brock's fault, isn't it?" he said, glancing up at the red-head opposite him.

She laughed, "And that rat of yours. Forget what I ever said about him being cute."

"A bit like Togepi then." Ash laughed, "Who would try Metronome and throw out an earthquake."

Misty winced slightly.

"You must miss him." he swallowed, wishing he thought sometimes before blurting stuff out, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You must miss some of yours… like Butterfree, Squirtle…"

"I was so happy to get Pidgeot back." Ash admitted, thinking about his large flying type, "She's so much stronger now and her flock can take care of themselves."

The Cerulean leader shot him a cautious smile. "Well that's good. Personally I like your Floatzel."

"Of course you would." Ash refrained from rolling his eyes. "He's a water type. On that matter … My Corphish is a water type. He's a bit young for the kind of training I'm doing with Luxray and the others, but I thought you might want to look after him a bit, maybe."

Blue eyes met auburn. "Really? Sure – I'd love that. Hoenn region right? Why aren't you training him though?"

Ash swallowed my mouthful, dropping his fork on his empty plate. "Misty – just last week my Luxray managed to work out how to use hydro pump."

She gaped at the electric user and he winced. "Yeah. According to him, because water is a polar molecule, if he runs a light charge through the air the water will be attracted to it and form along the path of his weak thunder fang. Don't ask me – I don't think it's physically possible but he managed it."

"This is the Luxray which uses flame charge right?" she asked cautiously. "And also coming from you who is somehow managing to teach Pikachu surf, fly and magnet rise? Ash, you're a good trainer – you know that? And when you have your elite challenge I'll be there – cheering you on!"

"That'll mean a lot." Ash smiled nervously. "Even Dawn's cheerleading couldn't compare to your shouting 'Ash Ketchum stop thinking about food and start battling!'. Dawn and May are very similar – coordinators and very…" he struggled for the word, "Girly?" Seeing her expression, he corrected himself. "Not that you aren't, and I love your new hairstyle, but they're more like your sisters than you are."

Self-consciously Misty ran a hand through her short hair, no longer tied up in its usual pony tail. "My gym nickname is 'the tomboyish mermaid'." she admitted. "I think Brock is the 'rock-hard trainer'. It's more annoying, because all these guys appear asking me out on dates. I actually went with this one kid, but he was this little wimp who kept staring."

Ash choked slightly on his drink. "You have a boyfriend?"

"Had." She corrected. "One date doesn't really count though. It was mostly him, just agreeing with everything I said. I was so relieved when I was interrupted by a challenger – this cocky kid from Johto – Ethan – with a Typhlosion, Magmortar, Aipom and Politoed. Pretty good challenger for someone with two fire types – won the badge to. Actually you know I think the only reason I liked the other kid was because he reminded me a bit like you."

"A cocky kid from Johto?" the aura guardian raised an eyebrow.

She shook her head. "The kid I went on a date with. He had an Elekid which followed him around like a lovesick puppy."

He frowned. "He didn't have purple hair did he?" It sounded an awfully lot like Paul, but it had been years since the rival turned friend had been in Kanto.

She shook her head. "No, why?"

"No reason." Ash let his gaze wander for a few seconds, before realising that he was staring at her eyes again. Had they always been so pretty? "Wait, are you saying you only went on a date with that kid because he reminded you of me?"

She chewed him lip in a very, un-Misty-like fashion.

"I still have your lure." The raven haired teen blurted out, without thinking _again_. "And your handkerchief. Dawn tried to borrow it – the lure, not the hanky – and I wouldn't let her because it meant too much to me." She gazed up at Ash with wide eyes and the awkwardness seemed to appear again. And like an idiot words were still spewing out of his mouth. "Although for that matter I still have a set of Brock's cutlery – all bent up. I think I used them to climb out a hole Team Rocket dug. And I have that drawing Latias drew… or was it Bianca…"

"Ash." She said, calmly. "Shut up."

He closed his mouth.

"We can do this again." She said, and for the first time the aura guardian let himself reach out, to sense her aura, the pulsing waves of blue, brimming with emotions that he could not discern.

Ash took a second before opening his mouth again – to make sure the right words came out. "I'd like that – to spend more time with you. And maybe it would work better than your last boyfriend."

She blinked at him, bemused. "Ash, are you asking me out?"

"We're already out." He quipped, settling back into a rhythm with a lopsided grin. "Can't get you more out that this."

"You know what I mean." She sighed.

"Yeah." he laughed. "I do. And I think the answer is 'yes', but if you agree then we are not telling Brock or Pikachu – got it? It wouldn't do to let them think their plan worked."

* * *

><p><strong>("Dawn! Stop squealing! You're making my ears hurt. I'm just going to skip that six months until I reach my elite challenge. I could even skip the battles – you know what happened and all…"<strong>

"_**Ash!**_**" May complained. "I need them for the records!"**

"**You've got records!" Ash snapped.**

"**Do we?" Lance hummed. "I thought the data from battles was deleted what with all those power cuts we had."**

"**And," May added happily, "It will be historically valuable to have your view on it."**

**Ash, Misty, Dawn and Lance stared at the chirpy brunette slightly worried. Ash raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay! Fine – I'll recount them for you. Lance, your girlfriend is such a historian."**

**The red-headed champion seemed to be realising this, but he didn't seem to mind much.**

"**Well you were all there." Ash began. "It was one of the last… no **_**the**_** last challenge…"**

"**We rank them in order of how good we think they are." Lance added. "Since Ash had the record of helping me knock out Cynthia's Pokémon in the tag battle, he was shuffled off to the last battle."**

"**Just out of curiosity..." Ash frowned. "What happened with the other battles?"**

**The red-head frowned. "We had one who made it to Bruno before losing. Lorelei took down most of them and the ones she didn't because they had fire-types or ground-types, Agatha knocked out pretty quickly."**

"**I invited you guys, obviously," Ash rolled his eyes. "You all came too, and it was great to see you again. Max was beginning to travel around Kanto, May was going through some of the smaller regions with Drew and Dawn was in Johto."**

"**Did you pick up Amps then?" Erika asked.**

"**Yeah, Flaafy came along. She was called Amps, along with Arrin, my Eelektross, Rai, Lux and Ter. I tried to start with the intimidation factor against Lorelei, by sending out my psycho Luxray…")**

* * *

><p><strong>[10:06AM] – 21<strong>**st**** May 2005 - Kanto – Indigo Plateau – Elite Battle Stadium – First Field – Ice - (NB: All Pokémon speech will be temporarily translated).**

"Oh crap." The battle hungry Luxray dodged out of the way of a sheer cold attack from the Lapras opposing him. "What happened to playing fair?"

"Playing fair is for gym battles." The transport Pokémon said smugly. "This is an elite challenge."

"Lapras! Use ice beam!" Lorelei called from her end of the field. Ash remained silent, letting Luxray fight his own battle. They seemed to do better, without him screaming his head off at them.

The freezing beam hurtled towards Lux who sighed. "Well if that's how you play – take this!"

"What are you doing?" the ice and water type looked worried.

"It's called flame charge. Enjoy!"

A flaming Luxray encountered the ice beam and kept on running forwards, melting the field beneath his paws. The Lapras was too large to dodge, so she let out a sheer cold instead.

Lux charged right through it.

"Oh that isn't fair!" she whined, a moment before she was sent sliding out of the field.

Luxray blinked dizzily. "Did anybody catch the name of the Torterra I ran into?"

Ash frowned. "Did you use strength as well as your flaming wild charge variant mark iv?"

"Might have. Or maybe it was a take down. There was a_ lot_ of recoil." The electric type shook his head, trying to clear away stars. His vision was clearing, revealing a large and lethal looking Mamoswine glaring him down. The lion glanced at him. "And now I'm hallucinating. Because I could have sworn that was a ground type."

A red beam caught the confused Pokémon before the earthquake could knock him out, the dark haired trainer throwing out Flaafy.

Mamoswine blinked at the small pink sheep. "You're not very big." He observed.

"Cotton spore."

Irritably he shook of the white cloud which seemed to stick to his tusk. "What are you doing?"

"Cotton spore."

"Your electric type moves won't affect me." He sighed, beginning to charge for a take down. Although he was feeling unusually slow and heavy.

"Cotton spore."

What did that move do again? Oh… yeah…

"Signal beam!"

The bug type move hit him dead centre. He winced. "Okay little sheep. I actually felt that. Now eat ice beam."

Amps looked unconcerned at the dual type as he struggled to move. "Power gem."

The paralyzed, slow mammoth was hit with a collection of flying rocks, which knocked him out cold.

Lorelei sighed. "Okay Ash, I got the message. I won't underestimate you anymore. Now can you start calling out attacks?"

"And give you an advantage?" Ash called back, "Yeah right. I'll just leave it up to my team to choose what to do."

"You mean…" Lorelei Prima frowned, "You aren't giving them silent instructions?"

The aura guardian laughed. "Does it look like I am?" he shrugged, as Lorelei tossed out her Jynx to the mix of ice and rock in front of them.

Flaafy shifted slightly. "Okay… let's try a power gem." The rocks did very little, bouncing off a psychic shield. The little sheep looked perturbed. "Ah well. Just need some more fire power. Thunderbolt."

Jynx winced at the attack. "This time, little one, you're going down. Psychic!"

"Dodge it Amps!" Ash called out a warning, and the electric type obeyed, dodging to the side out of the way of the pink wave.

"If that's how you want to play… thunderbolt, thunderbolt, thunderbolt!" the pink sheep fell to four paws, scurrying across the field and firing off multiple electrical layers, cocooning herself within an electric bubbling, which creating a web further afield.

"What are you doing?" Jynx asked, firing off a lovely kiss which was brushed off by the electric shield over Amps' body.

The field was now lit up with several shields of electrical sparks. One coated the sheep's body; another was spinning wildly around the corner of the field, all wildly connected to the sheep at the centre.

"Okay… now let's try thunder!" the electric type let loose a large portion of static, ripping up the ice and top layer of rock with the force of the attack, which shook the field in a manner similar to an earthquake. The Jynx struggled for a stable footing, throwing another ice attack or two towards the sheep.

"Psychic. Blizzard. Ice beam. Avalanche." The psychic was getting annoyed with long ranged shots. "Screw this, wake up slap!" she moved closer, preparing a wring out with the other hand, but a stray bolt hit her, carrying Amps' static ability.

"Ack. Not again." Jynx moaned, as her muscles seized up. "Uh oh… that shield… what's it doing?"

The various dancing electron pulses were gradually drawing into one central point, spinning circles of lightning. "Well…" said Amps. "I reckoned since there were attacks based on thunder, there shoulder an attack based on lightning too, right? And I set up a rain dance while you weren't looking, allowing me to conduct the electricity in the air and now… it's all going to collide."

"But lightning can't strike the same place twice!" Jynx complained.

"They just say that to make you feel better." Amps reassured her, as the voltage tendrils all gathered together into one, burst of light. When people managed to blink the glare from their eyes, Jynx was lying fainted on the ground.

Relaxing, Amps let her inner static shield drop. "I didn't think that would work." She admitted, and then frowned. "Wait… why was she singing?" then the perish song triggered, and she tumbled to the ground.

Ash collected her fainted sheep. "Not bad." He congratulated her. "You've been taking tips from Lux I guess." He sighed. "Never mind. I'd tell you it's a bad idea but if those are the type of things you come out with I'm not too bothered. Anyway, like some of those contest girls like to say, Lanturn, spotlight."

A ball capsule, attached to his quick ball, allowed Luxray to gather the water in the air, and as he landed a pool of it formed among the cracks and holes in the rocky field. Across from his a Dewgong materialised, twirling his body in the now water field.

"Dewgong use toxic!" Lorelei called, and then paused frowning as the poison attack dissipated into nothing. "Where…"

"…return." Ash blinked as his Pokémon returned itself. "Alright, I guess that works. Luxray! Thunder!"

The seal Pokémon sighed. "Not again." He grumbled, just before the field erupted once more in a dazzling light.

Lorelei recalled her fainted Dewgong. "Okay, so far I've been impressed. But your electric tricks won't work on this Pokémon! Cloyster!"

The oyster Pokémon grinned evilly at Luxray, who growled threateningly, releasing a thunderbolt at him. The clam slammed shut, the attack having no effect.

"What?" Luxray snarled.

"Calcium carbonate!" Ash called. "It doesn't conduct electricity!"

Lux paused, glancing around. "How do you know?" he asked.

Ash guiltily held up his Pokédex. "Turns out it is actually quite useful." He admitted. "Who knew?"

Luxray growled something under his breath, turning back and eying his opponent. The good thing was that at least when it was hiding like this the Pokémon couldn't do much damage.

"Spike canon!"

"Uh oh." Luxray staggered backwards, away from the missiles that were being launched from its armoured shell. His iron tail flickered and broke one heading for him, before he ducked underground in a dig attack.

Ash stared at the battlefield, closing his eyes to try and see where his Pokémon was. At once, the world flickered into blue pulses, two in front of him, from the Cloyster and his own Luxray. He opened his eyes again, waiting for Lux to make his move, while trying to think of a strategy that might help his Pokémon out.

Lux however had no need for a strategy, as a powerful thunder attack ripped through the waterlogged rock. It tore up the remains of the field, sending debris flying, one rocky sheet by chance hitting the Cloyster dead on and sending him tumbling across the jagged rock.

When the form came to a halt, the Cloyster was knocked out, eyes faint swirls.

Annoyed, Lorelei threw out her final Pokémon as Lux cautiously climbed out of the ruined field. Seeing the damage he winced. "Oops?" he asked, tail flickering nervously. "Maybe you should send Lanturn back in?"

"To this..?" Ash gestured towards the mix of ice, rock, ground and water that lay in front of them. "No way… Her Slowbro is water typed – you can take it down. Wild charge should do it, or maybe a thunder fang."

The ice elites Slowbro had been stocking up on amnesia's, when Luxray whirled around in a yellow aura. The dopey Pokémon sighed. It was one of those days, wasn't it? He usually only got to experience them when Lorelei was fighting Lance, and on occasions Bruno.

"Conduct it!" Lorelei shouted wildly.

Her Pokémon obeyed, oyster tail reaching towards the ground, but Luxray was quicker.

The ice queen sighed. She hadn't had a defeat like that in a while, but she had to admit, staring at the ruined field, at least he did it in style.

* * *

><p><strong>[11:13AM] – 21<strong>**st**** May 2005 - Kanto – Indigo Plateau – Elite Battle Stadium – Second Field – Grass - (NB: All Pokémon speech will be temporarily translated).**

When Agatha had been told that Lance had a new challenger for the elite rounded up and prepared, she had been expecting an easy battle. The last few had been easily crushed; this one would go down the same way as the other cocky trainers had.

When she was told the identity of said challenger, she had been surprised. The kid had potential, but he hadn't yet harnessed it, and from what she had seen a year and a half ago; he still had a long way to go.

When the lady observed his unorthodox battle with Lorelei, using only three Pokémon, a small Flaafy, a Lanturn which looked more suited to a contest that a battlefield, especially considering the mess they had made of the first elite's ice field, and a Luxray who seemed to dominate the show.

Her strategy was formed, and it seemed simple to look at, even if it took a lot of scheming. Take down the Luxray. The rest would fall easily enough.

Yet Gengar was staring down the Luxray, and it wasn't as easy in reality. The monstrous electric type had already managed to take down her Golbat with a well-aimed spark, and now seemed to be inventing new moves for his own species.

Did he just use flamethrower?

"Ha-ha!" Lux crowed triumphantly at the ghost. "Eat fire!"

The poison and ghost type became intangible as the flames shot right through him. "No thanks. Sucker punch!"

"Quick attack!" Luxray darted away, zigzagging across the field. "Now electric iron tail!" he spun around, knocking away the demon projection with a sparking metal tail.

The Gengar blinked, dazed. "Oh well." He sighed. "Curse."

Shackles appeared to materialise from the demon's hands, creeping across the ground like mist and wrapping themselves around the cat's forelimbs. He let out a yelp as the pulled him down, digging painfully into him. Static ran over his body, but to no effect. "Gah!" he growled, "And no returning me!" he snapped at Ash, who held his Pokéball ready, but respected his Pokémon's wish. "You think you can chain me down?" he snarled. "Nice try. Fire fang!"

Gengar yelped, "But you can't learn that!" he whined.

"Houndoom ancestor," Lux shrugged, snapping the chains and staggering to his feet, electrically charged. "Rain dance."

The ghost laughed, pulling a face. "Not going to do anything!" he crowed, eyes flashing red and he threw a nightshade, which Lux failed to dodge. He followed up with a shadow ball which impacted brutally with Lux's chest, sending him flying backwards.

The lion landed in a huddle, struggling to one paw, before his weight gave in. "Damn ghosts." He muttered, "Tricksters, the lot of them." Then a red beam called him back.

Ash eyes the Pokéball thoughtfully. "Next time I'm not listening to you when you said you want to continue fighting." He chided, before motioning to Pikachu. Go and finish it."

Pikachu's red cheeks sparked as he darted forwards, already forming a volt tackle attack. Lightning flickered down from the sky, increasing the voltage, and sending Gengar hurtling out of the ring and into the stands, only to be caught by a Gardevoir who was trying in vain to not only keep the field in order, but to protect the audience from the rain and lightning.

"Eat thunder!" Pikachu laughed, electrically empowered as he shot of several volts towards the Froslass that appeared.

"Hail."

Pikachu frowned as the increased voltage died. "I say rain dance."

"Hail."

"Rain dance."

"Hail."

"Rain… oh… Screw it." Pikachu leapt forwards in a volt tackle, leaping up at the last second and slamming his iron tail around to turn it into a volt tail.

Agatha would likely have been pulling her hair out in frustration had she enough of it left to waste. The Luxray was gone, but now this stupid Pikachu was back. No close range attacks due to static and now she'd just set up the indoor weather to hail. The poor safety Gardevoir had her work cut out for her.

"Sableye, haunt the field!" she cried, tossing out her prankster jewel eyes dark and ghost type. The field was hard to see through; the blizzard was thick and very, very cold.

Across the field, Ash squinted, huddled down besides Charizard, the dragon type curled up so that his wings sheltered them, and his tail sat in the middle like a campfire. "I can't see anything." He muttered to himself. "He isn't even using rain dance anymore."

"He's probably busy electrifying all of the particles to attract them to him and then plans to charge the Sableye with a volt tackle formed of several tonnes of snow."

Ash gave his fire flying an odd look. "Where the hell do you guys get your crazy ideas from?" he asked.

Charizard shot him a look. "With you as our trainer, who do you think?"

The weather was fading now, and Ash shielded his eyes, looking for his faithful mouse.

"Who are you looking for?" Pikachu asked, sitting next to him.

"Pikachu," Ash answered, wondering if the rodent was using dig… "Wait, Pikachu?"

"Yeah..?"

"Why aren't you on the field?"

"Oh? That? I charged the water in the snow and then turned myself into a giant magnet to bury Sableye in ice and snow before using dig to escape." He chirped, happily.

"Told you so," Shard looked smug.

"Shut up."

Midway across the field in a large snow dump the frantic Gardevoir was trying to shovel the snow of the poor, battered and swirl eyed Sableye.

"You don't want another round?" Ash asked, weakly.

Pikachu shrugged. "Nah, send in Lanturn to do some damage or Flaafy to use attract."

Ash nodded considering. "Not a bad idea." He agreed throwing in the small sheep's Pokéball.

A little while later Haunter found himself paralyzed, hit with multiple signal beams, and in love. He didn't seem to mind being electrified to unconsciousness too much after that.

When Spiritomb emerged, Amps took one look at it and scurried off, shoving Pikachu on in her place. "Your turn!" she announced cheerfully, before returning herself to her Pokéball.

The mouse grumbled. "Why is it I always have to take down the hard ones?" He sighed, before spinning into a counter shield to dodge a dark pulse. The shield ate up the dark energy, catching it and spinning it around, incorporating it into the shield.

"Interesting," Spiritomb hummed. "Shadow ball." The hurling shadows were caught as well and did the same thing. The ghost dark considered the mouse for a bit, before shooting of another dark pulse. Once again it was caught in the shield. "Are you going to attack any time soon?"

Pikachu continued his very awkward break dancing. "If you want," He grunted, spinning out of his shield, and letting it coalesce on his gleaming iron tail. "Electro ball and whatever else you threw at me!" For some reason Pikachu was feeling really slow, as he spun around to release the attack. There was a shimmer of air as Spiritomb appeared in front of him. "What-?"

"Trick room." The ghost announced smugly as he dodged the mix of attacks with a shimmer.

"Agility!" Pikachu tried to speed up, but found himself getting slower.

"Rai!" Ash called, "Trick room makes you faster the slower you are! Agility will only make you slower."

"Unless…" the mouse mused, "It wears off…" he winced as he was hit with a sucker punch. "Ow. That actually hurt."

Agatha smiled. Now her Pokémon was set up the remains of his team didn't stand a chance.

Then the Pikachu decided to use… was that reversal? How did the fighting type move even hit the ghost?

Pikachu grinned, static and dark energy running over his fur. "I kept some." He admitted to the dual type. "The dark pulse is trapped in my static, allowing any physical moves to hit you dead on. If I just keep using endure I'll hold on…"

Spiritomb chose that moment to throw a dark pulse at him. To his surprise, it flew right through the Pikachu, the yellow rat fading into nothing. "What?" he demanded. He spun around and searching for the rat.

"Substitute," Pikachu laughed from nearby. "Like it?" he laughed again as the dark pulse bounced of a shield in front of him. "That's light screen." He explained. "Not going to hit me. And now…" he paused a moment, as the purple lines in the air became visible before fading. "Your trick room is gone and I'm hyped up on agility."

Spiritomb tried to redo the trick room, but before he knew it the mouse had slammed into him, in a whirling hurricane of lightning and voltage. The world around him started spinning and then a gleaming iron tail knocked him out for good.

Agatha sighed as she recalled her fainted Pokémon. What was Lance thinking giving a trainer with monster Pokémon like this a challenge? The costs for the field were going to be enormous.

* * *

><p><strong>August 2013 – Hopefully that was what you were expecting. I don't like writing battles particularly, so I let the Pokémon fight their own battles. It was inspired by Saphroneth's 'Ashes of the Past' which I read prior to writing these scenes. I'll admit I was beginning to run out of techniques for the electric team to use. You'll see more in the next chapter, where Ash… well… where Ash's Pokémon take on Koga, Bruno and Lance's Pokémon.<strong>

**Enjoy!**

**~ Eclipse**


	30. Like No One Ever Was

**Chapter 31 – Like No One Ever Was**

"_I knew he was good, I mean, his Luxray could manage to use flame charge, and his Pikachu and Sceptile had taken down legendries. He didn't need to venture into another region, and catch more Pokémon, he just needed to train more with the ones he had, and from what I could see he had done that, and I needed to find another elite anyway to replace Bruno on the Kanto four. Although it was embarrassing to be beaten five: six."_ Lance

* * *

><p><strong>[12:32AM] – 21<strong>**st**** May 2005 - Kanto – Indigo Plateau – Elite Battle Stadium – Third Field – Rock - (NB: All P****okémon speech will be temporarily translated).**

After a break for lunch, Bruno had come marching to his battle, eager to see who had come to battle him, beating Lorelei and Agatha. If they beat him as well, the challenger would be offered a spot on the elites, and he wouldn't have to travel back and forth to Johto all the time.

Just because he was looking forward to not riding on that horrible magnet train anymore didn't mean he wasn't going to give this challenger an easy time.

"Knock out Hitmontop!"

The fighting type appeared on the field, spinning around upside down.

"Light it up Lanturn!"

The fish appeared, resting on the hard rock of the field, angler sparking slightly. "Well you don't look like much." He scoffed at his opponent. "Signal beam!"

"Dig!" Hitmontop vanished under the ground as the attack passed harmlessly overhead.

Lanturn shifted his weight, uneasily, too slow on land to be able to attack very easily. He winced as the fighting type appeared, knocking him backwards, and then vanishing in another dig before his thunder bolt could hit. "So you like hiding huh?" he asked, the floor beginning to rumble. He shot an ice beam at the ground, allowing him to slip out the way of the Hitmontop when he next used dig.

"Dig again." Bruno smiled, they had this all sorted now. His Pokémon obeyed, scratching down into the floor and quickly vanishing, the hydro pump missing by inches.

"Well if that's how you want to play…" Ter sighed, pressing himself against the ground. "Let's wash this field away - Surf."

The ground began to bubble and rock, and a confused Hitmontop appeared, from the rolling floor. "What are you doing?" he asked, "You can't use earthquake!" he cried.

Ter rolled his eyes. "It's just the ground shaking. Not terribly hard to fake." Then the water he had summoned broke the surface of the rocky field, spinning upwards in a huge, wall of water that spiralled around itself, aqua blue.

"What power…" Bruno breathed; his Pokémon looked terrified of the surf wave that hung threateningly over him.

"And…drop…" Lanturn let his control over his element fall, the sheet of water washing the fighting type clean out of the arena. The Gardevoir in charge of safety from earlier caught him, while simultaneously stopping the wave, and keeping the audience dry.

The referee who had his own Kadabra to protect him, shivered inside his little psychic bubble. "Hitmontop is unable to battle. Lanturn wins. Will Bruno please send out his next Pokémon?"

"Knock out Hitmonlee."

The brother to the previous fighting type appeared on the very wet rock floor. For a moment he looked around in confusion before a hydro pump slammed into him. He shook it off, glaring at the grinning Ter. "Whoops." The fish mocked, "Got you a bit wet didn't I?"

Hitmonlee readied a bullet punch in one hand, darting out of the way of the thunder that followed, allowing it to channel into his fist. Ter shot another thunder at him, trying to take advantage of the water coating him. The fish, still finding it hard to manoeuvre, could not dodge the attack: an electrified bullet-punch, although he looked very smug when it struck.

"Volt absorb." He teased, seemingly re-energized. "Not going to do any damage – remember?"

The second punch from the close combat sent him flying, and Hitmonlee darted after him, with a kick and punch ready.

"Aqua ring!" Ter surrounded himself in a thin layer of water, healing up slightly, wincing as another punch landed. The fighting type was right in front of him, and rather hard to miss. "Electrolysis!"

"That's not a move." Hitmonlee scoffed, and then the hydro pump, surrounded by crackling electricity hit him, throwing him back. Yet still he clung to awareness, rising from one knee to stand, facing his adversary. "Nice try." He scoffed. "But I'm stronger than that."

"I'm counting on it." The water and electric type commented, from where he sat. "Flash."

The bright light emitting from the angler of the blue and yellow fish blinded Hitmonlee, who stepped back, shielding his eyes. As he tried to blink away the glare, he noted numbly that his opponent was no longer there, but for some reason he felt unusually heavy and slow. Paralysis, he realised, mildly, head turning to look for his opponent.

"Behind you!" Bruno shouted, from the side-lines. "The Flaafy…!"

Hitmonlee was too slow to turn, to register the change of Pokémon, because the small pink sheep had already thrown a sparking yellow electro ball at him.

Bruno sighed. Four Pokémon left. And which to choose first…

"Machamp! Knock it out!" he cried, the four armed monster emerging onto the field.

Pumping his muscles, the grey skinned fighter glanced down at the little sheep. "So they send out the little sheep." He scoffed. "How pitiful."

"I'll give you pitiful." Amps spat. "Thunder!"

Machamp barely flinched. "Hah? That's it? Really? Allow me to show you how a real Pokémon fights." And then he jumped forwards, "Dynamic punch!"

Amps dodged with a squeal, whirling around with an iron tail, that to her alarm, she found caught by the second limb.

"More arms, little sheep." The Machamp smirked. "Wake up slap."

Letting a light current flow through her tail, she shocked the fighting type into letting go as she spun out of the way. Spinning around, she lashed out with a thunder punch, which barely did anything.

"Want to have a real fighting match?" Machamp taunted her, as she tried another thunder punch at close quarters. "Cross chop!" he leered at her simultaneously with a scary face, making Amps slow down with fright.

"Come on!" Ash called encouragingly from the side lines "Don't give up!"

Feeling revived and motivated, the sheep lashed out with a thunder punch, letting the electricity bristle and build up until it sparked itself into flames, in a mock reflection of a fire punch. She hit out with a thunder punch with her other paw, colliding solidly with the fighting type's chest. Then spinning around she delivered an iron tail across his face.

He backed away slightly. "Ouch." He winced, "Not bad. No let me show you how a real master fights." And he threw a cross chop at her, followed by a quick succession of dynamic punches, low kicks and wake up slaps. He moved quickly, and the sheep struggled to keep up, letting herself be battered around.

"Amps!" Ash called in alarm. "Come on girl! You can do it!"

No she couldn't. She tried, but she was just a little Flaafy.

"Come on Amps!" Pikachu called from where he sat by his trainer. "Show his who's boss!"

Invigorated, she ducked a swing, letting the fighting type stumble over her, as she got her act together, readying a fiery thunder punch and what she hoped was a brick break.

She lashed out, feeling some hidden strength behind her punches, letting the electricity dance over her skin and hit the fighting type with every punch.

"Is she…" Ash stared, wide eyed, at the glow she was giving off, blinking as it faded.

"Take that!" Amps rounded off with a focus blast, forming between her paws as she threw it forwards, colliding with the fighter's chest. It sent the fighting type flying backwards, eyes faint swirls. She herself felt tired, but happy, her yellow fur sparking with joy.

Wait… yellow?

"You evolved!" Ash called to her, and she paused for a moment, savouring her victory, and examining her new form. He was right – she was now an Ampharos.

"Good fight." Machamp said weakly, "Not bad for a little sheep." He laughed, just before the red beam recalled him back.

Amps gave a triumphant grin, but it faded as the next Pokémon appeared in front of her, rocky boulders curled up and uncoiling into a large rock snake.

"Uh… well that was fun and all…" she laughed nervously, before darting back to Ash's side. "Can you send someone else out now?" She begged. "Please."

Ash rolled his eyes. "Okay then. Pikachu, do you want to handle this?"

"Sure thing!" Rai leapt into battle, cheeks sparking with static. "This is revenge! For all Pikachu everywhere! For the unfairness of ground types!"

"Earthquake." Bruno smirked, but the smile promptly dropped from his face as the Pikachu leapt up into the air… and stayed there.

"Meet magnet rise, ground types everywhere!" Pikachu mocked, running on transparent light screens and his tail glowing with the hum of an electrified iron tail, allowing him to momentarily defy gravity. "By any chance, are there sprinklers in this room?" he asked Onix, glancing thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

"Smack down."

Pikachu glanced back at the rock snake. "That doesn't sound too good." He winced, dodging the giant… was that a cannon ball? Who invented such a thing?

"It's to bring down birds and levitating types." Onix explained, throwing a rock at Pikachu who dodged rapidly. "Then my ground type moves can hit you."

Pikachu glared at him. "It's an abomination." He snapped. "But don't worry. You keep doing that and I'm going to stick with this - Surf."

Onix blinked. "What?"

Pikachu, meanwhile, was forming a substitute surfboard, leaping onto it as the water formed beneath him in a large wave, eerily reminiscent of the fish's earlier tidal wave.

Let's just say that Onix didn't stand much of a chance after that.

Pikachu brushed his hands off, happily surveying the unstable rocky field. "Okay! That's my job done." He chirped happily. "Field destroyed. Check." He glanced at his new opponent. "And now time to take you down." He grinned, and Hitmonchan felt a bit nervous for some reason.

"Double team!" Ash called, trying to save the fighting type some pain. The Pikachu leapt into action, form blurring into multiple copies as Hitmonchan paused, mid punch, trying to locate the real one.

"Behind you!" Bruno shouted, spotting a yellow blur, leaping forwards in an iron tail. Hitmonchan spun around with a kick, but it faded right through the copy. "Hm. Substitute too?" Bruno pondered. "Earthquake."

Several Pika-copies leapt into the air, using magnet rise to avoid the shaking ground, that made the field tremble even more that it had already. One of the Pika-doubles began to blur forward in a volt tackle.

"Meet it head on with thunder punch!" Bruno roared, exhilarated.

"Fly."

The fighting type's attack fell right through the illusion, the static fading from his boxing glove, and he spun around, desperately seeking his opponent.

"Above you!" Ash called out, trying to help the opposition, although he wasn't sure why. His yellow friend was spinning with an iron tail, three yellow rings charging around, orbiting his form as he fell towards the ground.

"Meet Volt Smash!" Pikachu cried, as he let the circles fuse together, his tail landing on its target, who couldn't dodge in time, and creating a small cloud of dust that hid the field for a moment before clearing, Pikachu sitting on top of his defeated opponent, looking dizzy. "Okay." He muttered, as he began to stagger drunkenly towards Ash. "That's me done. I think I'll sit the next one out…" he fell to the ground next to Amps, who looked at him concerned.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be." He mumbled. "That was some finishing attack. I think I just created an electrical hyper beam variant."

"Okay Luxray!" Ash threw the sphere containing his gleam eyed Pokémon onto the battlefield. "Let's round this up."

Lux bared his fangs, waiting for his opponent to emerge. In a flash of red, a black and blue aura Pokémon was revealed, fists clenched into a fighting stance.

"You are my opponent?" the Lucario asked. "Then let us duel."

Lux titled his head to one side. "If ya' want." He drawled, stalking across the field, avoiding the numerous fault lines. "But you're the one who is going to lose."

The Lucario was silent, forming a bone rush.

"Well that's new." Lux observed, tail hardening into an iron tail, breath growing frosty. "But I've got just the thing for that, see?" he opened his mouth, revealing his icy fangs.

"Detect!" Lucario dodged the ice fang, whirling out with his bone rush and encountering…

Nothing…?

The aura Pokémon frowned, reaching out to sense his opponent. There was a blue spark in the ground below him… using dig, huh? Well he had just the thing for that…

But the earthquake he shot off was not a good mix for the cracked and battered field, which couldn't take much more. It crumbled, literally beginning to fall apart around the battling duo. Luxray leapt out, dodging some tumbling rock and lashing out with an ice fang, which missed, Lucario shielding with a protect and then throwing an aura sphere which clipped Lux's hind legs, sending him stumbling.

Lucario bounded out of the way of the collapsing field, finding a strong perch and remaining there, watching his opponent. "You like destroying battlefields, don't you?" he asked, "But at least from over there, you can't use ice fang."

Lux narrowed his eyes, as coloured lights began to circle him.

"What's that?" Lucario asked.

"Meet hidden power," Lux smirked, as the lights began to shoot towards him. The fighting steel type cursed. There was no way he was going to be able to dodge all of those.

"Protect!"

But the shield, recently used, failed and Lucario was left staring at the smirking Luxray upon a ruined battlefield before the hidden power knocked him out.

Bruno smiled. Finally, they had a new elite and he could stay in Johto! He stared at the kid who was currently trying to coax his Luxray away from the ruined field so that the Gardevoir could slowly begin the arduous process of piecing the field back together. Although coax might be the wrong word… there was a lot of arguing involved.

He liked the new elite. Ash had come a long way from the scrawny kid he had met before. He was going to get along brilliantly with Lance, and he couldn't wait to see the next two battles.

The pair both had a penchant for destruction after all.

* * *

><p><strong>[13:42AM] – 21<strong>**st**** May 2005 - Kanto – Indigo Plateau – Elite Battle Stadium – Fourth Field – Water - (NB: All Pokémon speech will be temporarily translated).**

Pikachu was now in a substitute, double team illusion battle with Koga's Crobat, the one flying above the water, and the other leaping from podium to podium, and occasionally disregarding the laws of physics and running over the water itself. There were about two dozen Pokémon images in the stadium, and Ash was sitting next to his Charizard, who was keeping his tail far away from the water's edge. The former was practising his aura sight and trying to spot the real duelling pair.

An air slash whipped past a pika-double, to be followed by a thunder bolt.

"Well at the very least." Koga said, trying to find his own Pokémon amongst the illusions. "At the very least I can say that you qualify for ninja training."

Ash, who had just managed to locate the Crobat skimming low over the water, looked up, startled into losing the image. He cursed. "Dammit. Pikachu just electrify the whole field!"

Koga frowned. "And here I hoped you had subtly."

Lance was watching nearby, hurriedly feeding his Gyrados a lot of Wacan berries. "Whatever you do…" He told his dual type water and flying. "Try and avoid using rain dance."

Back on the battlefield, Pikachu, having just used rain dance himself, had turned it into a living indoor lightning storm. The whole arena was lit up with sparking electricity, and the purple bat could now be seen, trying to dodge the multiple beams. One clipped his wing, sending him spiralling towards the water, but he managed to pull out of the way in time.

In the stands, Misty was smirking, watching the elites being thrashed. Brock, sitting next to her, looking shocked at the improvement, and Gary was making notes in a notebook. "I have to teach Electivire to do that." He said, planning how to incorporate that into a gym battle or two, as Pikachu used his electrical hyper beam, falling from the sky above Crobat, and crashing into the middle floating podium, sending water cascading everywhere.

Charizard shielded his tail. "Watch it here!" he snarled and Ash caught a flying Pikachu, who had been hit with the wave, washing him out of the arena. "Fire type sitting here!" he grumbled, shifting away from the edge.

He was ignored as Ash sent out Ter, the water type finally at home in the still sparking pool, which was a little bit emptier than it had started out as. He immediately set up an aqua ring, refreshing himself for his next opponent.

In his element (quite literally) Ter managed to takes down Ariados and Venomoth without too much trouble. The Muk gave him problems, as it kept using minimize, so he hit it with a hydro pump, knocking into the water where it promptly began to dissolve and has to be recalled.

He was now staring down a Skuntank, who sniffed at the watery environment, before shooting out a flamethrower.

Ter dived under the water, hearing the hiss of steam produced from fire on water. He shot out a water pulse, which did nothing more that got the fluffy skunk wet. He followed up with a thunder, but the poison type released a smog attack, the electricity dispersing in the airborne particles.

"No way…" He cried, trying a signal beam which was dodged by the surprisingly nifty Skuntank jumping to another podium and shooting another flamethrower towards him. Unable to dodge, the searing heat caught him full on, and he dived beneath the water again, wincing as he felt the burn.

"Set the water on fire!" Koga cried.

Ash looked aghast. "I thought you were a poison type user!" he complained, backing away from the raging inferno. "Why's the water burning?"

"Skuntank shot a sludge attack into the pool." Koga explained. "It's highly flammable. Your Lanturn won't last long."

With the burn and flaming pool, he was right, as Lanturn eventually floated weakly to the surface near Ash. "I think…" he coughed out, "I'm done."

Ash returned him quickly, complimenting the Pokéball, before sending out Luxray who was already charged up, and racing forwards in a wild charge. The flamethrower from the Skuntank did nothing more than turn the wild charge into a flame charge, burning off the poison attack.

Skuntank sighed. "Not again." He muttered, seconds before he was hit by a maniac Luxray.

Wincing from the recoil, the gleam eyed cat struggled to maintain his balance on the podium, his vision swimming. He peered at the Arbok. "Why are there four of you?" he asked.

"Only one," The snake hissed before shooting forwards in a wrap attack, adding in a little poison for good measure.

"Ah…" Lux complained, "Get off me!"

"Bite."

"That hurt." Lux complained. "Crunch!"

Arbok let go very quickly, slithering away, fangs bared.

Lux stumbled away, almost falling into the still warm water. "I feel weird." He considered, blinking. "Oh." He realised. "You poisoned me right?"

"Goodbye." The snake grinned; as Lux toppled over, being caught by a red beam before he could hit the water.

Ash sighed, pocketing the red and white sphere. "Snake huh?" he mused. "Okay then, enough saving you as 'my secret weapon'. Eelektross! Illuminate!"

The happy eel landed on a podium, the white floatation rocking violently before steadying.

"Use dig!" Koga smirked. This was all over. He paused, realising that Arbok hadn't done anything other than turn around and give him a quizzical look. Of course – the field was water. Oh well. If Ash's crazy team could improvise, so could he. "Just do it!" he snapped, and Arbok paused for half a second before obeying and shooting forwards across the water.

Eelektross laughed happily. "Yeah," He scoffed. "Good luck with that." He leapt out of the way easily of the snake, almost seeming to float over the water. "Like it?" he asked, "It's my ability – levitate!" He dashed forwards with a dragon claw in one hand, the other in a thunder punch.

Arbok wondered if his trainer had called out more sensible attacks he might have managed to last a bit longer against the strange crazy eel.

* * *

><p><strong>[14:30AM] – 21<strong>**st**** May 2005 - Kanto – Indigo Plateau – Elite Battle Stadium – Fifth Field – Mix - (NB: All Pokémon speech will be temporarily translated).**

After stuffing his Gyrados with another Wacan Berry, Lance marched on field, ready for what he knew was going to be a hard battle.

"Gyrados! Intimidate!"

"Electrify Pikachu!" Ash let his small electric type leap of his shoulder and race towards the dual type. "Light it up!" he called out, and Rai obeyed, letting loose a thunder which fried the grass on the ground. The field this time was a mix of forest, rock, water and grass.

To the mouse's annoyance, the sea serpent did not immediately faint, and instead released a dragon rage towards him.

So naturally he ran right towards it cloaked in a volt tackle.

Lance sighed as he recalled the serpent, muscles still jerking with electricity. Perhaps he shoulder make his Gyrados live on Wacan berries to overcome that damned electric weakness.

Aerodactyl appeared on the field, as Pikachu ran back, Ampharos appearing with a loud cry, red beacon tail lighting up. Lance cursed. With most of his team at least partially weak to electric, and the other part having some resistance, this match was going to be horribly intense. He couldn't wait for it to be over, yet at the same time, he didn't want it to end.

Thunder ripped across the sky, but the rock type dodged, wings flapping as rocks materialised to rain down upon the electric sheep. She summoned her own power gem to block the attack, breaking up the large boulders into fine gravels which fell to the field below.

Ash frowned at the battlefield, trying to think of a strategy. Lance however, had gotten there first. "Aero! Use ancient power! Use the status boost to then use sky drop!"

The aura guardian bit his lip. He hadn't heard of sky drop before, but it didn't sound good. "Electric shield!" he called, "Then prepare a focus blast. Fire it at the ancient powers."

Lance smirked. "Call off the sky drop! Heat wave!" he called, "Then rock tombs!"

His flying rock type tried in vain to keep up, throwing forward glowing stones which were promptly crushing into small pieces by Amps' focus blast. It immediately followed up with a gust of boiling hot air, filled with large stones which gathered around Amps, as if attracted to her. When they reached her, however, they broke up, cracked into pieces by the electric field on her body.

Ash glanced down, wincing at the stones scattered around the battlefield. He would have to get those out of the way before Lux or Rai were sent back out… maybe… "Amps! Magnet rise on the field! Float those rocks!"

"Here we go!" she released a light thunder waves, charging the poles as the rocks began to float in a mock stealth rock, or possibly a stone edge. "More power! I see." She smirked, throwing a discharge over the field.

Aerodactyl cursed as suddenly multiple rocks flew upwards towards him. One hit his wing, and he managed to avoid another, before being hit on the head. "Ouch." He winced, charging a dragon pulse and firing it downwards.

"You can have it back!" Amps hit it with an iron tail. "Along with this!" she threw a focus blast upwards.

"Steel wing," He thanked his Skarmory ancestor, knocking it back down, and charging another in his mouth.

Once again an iron tail hit it back, along with the second that he had thrown. Now they were alternating between bouncing the focus blasts and dragon pulses back and forth, with their steel type moves.

"Add in some chaos!" Lance called. "Rock slide!"

Aerodactyl laughed, flapping the rocks that formed down towards the electric type, who was charging up a signal beam. She dodged wearily under the rocks, knowing that she could not keep this up much longer.

"You have to end it!" Rai called, from where he sat.

"He's a flying type!" Charizard growled. "Hit his wings!"

"I'm trying!" Amps aimed a charge beam upwards, but it was intercepted by one of their own bouncing pulses. "Fine, if that's how you want to play it… rain dance!"

Now the weather of the field was a mock Draco meteor, with rocks, dragon and focus pulses, and rain pouring down, the sky rumbling with thunder.

"One chance," Amps gritted her teeth, glaring at the annoying fossil Pokémon flying above her. "Here we go! Outrage!"

Lance took a step forward in alarm. "Where did she learn that?"

The pulse of flaming red dragon fire hit Aerodactyl dead on, knocking him from the sky and bringing him tumbling back to earth with a loud crash, Amps being hit moments later by the flaming debris from the sky.

"I think that's it from me." She murmured weakly, closing her eyes, as the pair were withdrawn simultaneously in red beams.

"Tell me when you learn new moves." Ash chided, analysing the now burnt forest and grassland area, before throwing Lanturn out towards the water. Lance must have had the same idea, for a Dragonair appeared in the pool, pearl beneath its neck gleaming.

Dragonair considered his opponent. "Can't thunder you." he mused, "You'd just absorb the voltage. Nor can I flame you, you're a water type. Ice won't be that effective so how about… dragon fire!" he shot a dragon rage towards Ter who ducked under water, sending a light discharge through the pool.

"Not going to work!" Lanturn scoffed, shoot an ice beam toward the dragon, but it missed and instead froze some of the pond. "Blizzard!" he tried.

This time Dragonair dived beneath the water. However he didn't reappear.

Lanturn frowned, about to go and look for his opponent when something barrelled into him. Damn it, he didn't think they could learn dive! Before he could recover, a water pulse and aqua tail barrelled into him, sending him flying across the water. He could also see the fading effects that suggested a mist attack had been used. So he couldn't paralyze it.

"Use the water!" Ash called out. "Whirlpool!"

Obediently Ter followed instruction, although he couldn't see what good it would do…

"Electrify it and use the extra control to bring the columns up higher!"

Oh. That would work. Ter allowed some electricity to seep into the water, moulding the liquid into long, spinning funnels. Dragonair was caught in one, and the dragon rage he fired was rebounded back, wrapped around the twister of water.

"Eye of the storm!" Lance cried, "Get into the centre of it!"

Dragonair slipped through the whirling water and was lost from sight, flicking into an extreme speed.

"Charge up and shock!" Ash called, "Its using dragon dance so watch out for the dragon rush when it hits!"

Ter grunted as his charge beam and dragon rush hit, the strain was great. Both combatants were sent flying backwards, trying to regain their sense of direction.

"Not bad." Dragonair admitted. "I haven't had a strong opponent in a long time."

"I'll beat you yet." Lanturn vowed, charging up a signal beam and allowing the bug type move to be run through with static. "Rai isn't the only one with finishing moves. Would you like to meet Water Spark?"

"How about giga impact…?" Dragonair responded, charging forwards, ignoring Shard's disgruntled, 'How come he can managed giga impact and I can't?' The serpent was wreathed in blue fire, slowly turning white as he built up momentum

"Who names these moves anyway?" The dragon grumbled. "Why don't you call it something cool like the collision of water and lightning, or…"

He was drowned out by a colliding giga impact and water infused spark variant, both combatants sent flying out of the arena and hitting the walls, sliding down them in a faint.

"I think you overdid it." Ash said to his water and electric type's Pokéball. "But it was a good job."

He glanced up at the field which was slowly crumbling into a state of disrepair. The Gardevoir from earlier was gone, probably having retired due to the work load. "Let lightning dance Lux!"

"Inferno Charizard!"

Ash swallowed, as he witnessed Lance's starter Pokémon take that instruction very literally with what might have been a blast burn, only the orange dragon didn't bother to recharge before taking to the skies. Luxray had run through it in his typical flame charge fashion, and Ash's own Charizard had perked up, intently watching the battle.

"Flamethrower." He predicted, and when, moments later, the airborne Charizard let out a flamethrower, Ash glanced around in confusion.

"So when you bragged you could counter the counters of these lizards, you weren't lying?"

"Of course not," The prideful Pokémon looked affronted. "I'm one of the strongest there. Look, now, see the wing tip. He's going to dodge out of the way of the thunder and… see the throat pulse. He's hiding a dragon pulse or outrage there."

Ash looked alarmed. "Dodge the outrage!" he called, moments before the attack itself was released, and by then Lux had managed to use dig, reappearing the other end of the field.

"Tiring opponent," Lux grumbled. "He won't stay still. Oh well. Let's change things around a bit, shall we?" the gleam eyed Pokémon raised his head, eyes flashing as all the lights in the arena went out.

Shard raised his tail as a torch, peering at the field. One solitary flame of Lance's Charizard was visible, illuminating blue and orange wings, which were descending to land.

"What's he doing?" Ash hissed. "Unless… Rai…?"

"Still here..." The mouse said. "He hasn't asked to swap or anything."

"He must be planning something." Ash pondered. "Something shocking that he shouldn't be able to do. Not weather related, we've run that option out… Where is he anyway? We should be able to see the illumination of his fur…"

"The enemy is on the ground." Charizard pointed out, observing a flamethrower attempt to illuminate the field. "And he isn't. So he's using dig."

Ash glanced up. "Ah. How hard to you reckon it would be for Lux to dig under the arena and use fissure."

Rai retreated to the safety of the flying types back. "Knowing him," He scoffed. "Ridiculously easy..."

The red flaring light of Lance's starter vanished in an enormous rumble and with a spark Ash could see his own Pokémon leap up to safety, just as the technicians managed to get the lights working.

The mess was terrible. There was an enormous hole in the middle of the field, filled with crumbled rocks, still sparking slightly, and a red dragon lying fainted within, the ground having quite literally given way beneath him.

Lux was looking terribly smug, although when the Altaria began throwing fluffy cotton balls at him he looked more annoyed. Attempting a thunder, he was even more annoyed when it caught on the cotton guard and hit him instead, making him wince. So entertain he was, by his fluffy predicament, that he missed Lance's order for a Draco meteor.

"Dodge!" Ash called, but by the time he gleam eyed cat looked up, and tried to move, he was too slow, weighed down by the cotton guard. Trying to spark a flame charge failed, as the electricity died, leaving Lux at the mercy of the powerful dragon attack. "Return," Ash called, letting his defeated Pokémon be recalled before the attack hit. "I withdraw Luxray." He told the referee and Lance. "Although he will be pissed with me later..." He added, under his breath, before throwing Eelektross forward.

"Don't get caught by cotton guard!" he warned, as his happy eel began dancing, a dragon pulse hurtling past but missing.

"Sunny day!" Lance called, wanting to avoid any adverse weather affect that might favour electricity. "Then use solar beam."

"A grass type move huh?" Eelektross chuckled, preparing to bat it aside with a dragon claw. "Not bad." His other fist began to glow with a fire punch. "But I've got my own tricks." He then engulfed himself in a wild charge and began to race forward.

Altaria sighed, shooting out a dragon breath which washed off. "No!" she protested, and surrounded herself in safeguard. It did little to protect the brunt of the attack, but at least she wasn't paralyzed or burnt. Eelektross too took damage from the recoil, but he didn't let it affect him as he immediately began to prepare a brick break in one hand, while shooting off a flamethrower.

"Missed," Altaria mocked, dodging the flamethrower, but putting herself in the way of the brick break. She let out a cry of pain, and Eelektross winced at the high pitched sound, closing his eyes. "Uproar!" she announced smugly as she collided with him, but a paw lashed out with a dragon claw, sending her reeling backwards. "And I added a little perish song in there too."

Both battlers looked weary, the echoes of the song in their ears. Their turns were running out.

"Well if that's it for me." Eelektross announced, smugly. "Then you won't mind U-turn."

Altaria screeched her protest, but changed tact, shooting hearts at her opponent. Failing to dodge, Eelektross skidded to a halt, infatuated.

Ash hit his head with his palm. "Attract." He moaned, "Snap out of it Eelektross." Altaria was using rock smash. "Talk about unrequited love." Ash sighed, watching his Pokémon sit there and take it. "Bit abusive too…" as Altaria threw another solar beam at him.

"Altaria!" Lance cried, "Return!"

But it was then that Eelektross snapped out of his daze, and knocking the dragon out of the way with an acrobatics. "We go down together!" he snarled, skidding in the dirt, and for a moment the two contestants stared at each other in a death glare.

Moments later the perish song came into effect and both tumbled to the ground.

Lance swallowed. "Last Pokémon," he murmured. "I know you won't let me down." He enlarged the sphere. "Take to the skies Dragonite!"

Ash glanced at Pikachu. "Ready to do this buddy?" he smiled. "You may be my fifth Pokémon, but you're my last electric type. It's only you left."

"Ready as always," Rai chirped excitedly.

"Then Pikachu I choose you!"

The mouse bounded forwards, cheeks sparking, and for a moment dragon and mouse stared at each other, before mutually launching into attacks.

Dragonite fired off a hyper beam straight off, while Pikachu threw an electro ball, before using magnet rise and hopping up the light screen platforms he created.

Rushing up to meet him in a flap of his leathery wings, Dragonite blew fire towards the mouse, which let out a chirp of alarm and leapt for the safety of his substitute surfboard, letting water coalesce under it as he surfed towards Dragonite.

"Break the wave!" Lance cried, "Air slash!"

Dragonite fired off a sphere of razor sharp air which disrupted the water flow, and in alarm Pikachu jumped of the board, letting it reform into a balloon to which he held onto.

"Drop onto the dragon's back!" Ash called.

"Are you mad?" Pikachu cried. "Don't answer that." And trusting his trainer, he let go of his red balloon.

The breath shot out of him as he landed on something orange. Had he actually managed it?

"Roll!"

Uh oh. Rai grabbed onto a spike and held on for dear life as the rollercoaster ride began. He let loose a thunder, which raced through Dragonite in a paralysis, the wings pausing mid flap.

"Not a good idea." Rai sighed, before jumping for his balloon as the paralyzed dragon began a course for the ground.

"Shake it off!" Lance called, "Come on! Snap out of it."

Seemingly at the last minute, Dragonite pulled up, the electricity's hold breaking as he twisted around, heading now for Pikachu hanging onto his little red balloon.

"Hyper beam."

Pikachu formed an iron tail. "Right back at ya'." He bounced the attack back, using its momentum to let himself by thrown backwards, still clutching his balloon, he closed his eyes, hating the height, and after cracking one eyes open to check Dragonite was in a feasible position, he once again, let go of his air support.

Dragonite snarled in annoyance at finding the mouse back on his spines. "Let go!" he growled, shaking his head. "Get of me."

"Nu Uh!" Pikachu clung on for dear life. "It's a long way to the ground."

Dragonite let himself become surrounded by a dragon rush, but Rai was so close it didn't affect him. "Very well then," He scoffed. "If you insist – seismic toss…" And he then proceeded to spin towards the ground at high speeds.

Pikachu closed his eyes. "You asked for it." He muttered, "Mega volt!"

"What?" Dragonite only had the time to wonder what the hell that was, before several thousand volts shot through him.

Ash winced, "Deep fried Dragonite." He sighed. "Isn't he over doing it?"

Charizard shrugged. "I survived that attack once." He admitted. "And Dragonite resists the electric in part, while being weak to it in part, so he'd survive."

"You were knocked out by a quick attack afterwards." His trainer scoffed. "And that was only because you used endure."

Back on the field Dragonite had finally met the ground, and his original plan of rolling over and squashing the annoying Pikachu failed due to the high voltage. Pikachu was dislodged by the impact, and landed in the ruined crater that Lux had created, Dragonite lying next to him. He was tired and felt like he didn't have a drop of electric power left.

"Come on Rai!" Ash called. "It's the final push!"

But he was so tired…

"Look! There's a giant bottle of ketchup!"

Pikachu blinked. That sounded good. He sat up, tail twitching, looking for the giant ketchup bottle. His trainer looked slightly guilty.

"I'll buy you some." Ash promised. "…because after that battle you deserve it."

"Battle?" Rai blinked, before glancing at Dragonite who was stirring weakly. "Oh yeah, battle. Wait… did I win?"

Ash nodded, approaching the crater, before deciding better and staying where he was. "Come on." He smiled, and Pikachu blinked for a moment.

"We… we won." Pikachu blinked. "WE WON!" and with that he leapt towards Ash, for a cuddle in his trainer's arms.

Misty, who had been waiting with bated breath in the stands with Marill, was next there, beating Lance (who had to navigate the crater) and Brock (who got distracted by preaching his love to a pretty girl). He won! She mentally squealed. Ash won, Ash won, Ash won!

She threw herself into his arms, and he caught her laughing, spinning her around once, before putting her down, grabbing her arm to stop her moving around, and kissed her.

She let herself relax, overcome by the feeling of his lips of hers, before kissing back. The moment couldn't be any more perfect.

"Stop that!" Rai complained. "Pikachupi! Pikapi!" he whined. "Guys!"

Slowly they broke apart, Ash with a goofy grin across his face. "Remember." He whispered. "We were already dating before Brock and Pikachu got us together."

Misty giggled, tucking herself to his side. "You ruined the battlefield." She chuckled. "All of them actually..."

"Koga ruined the water field." Ash pouted childishly. "He was the one who set it on fire."

"Good battle." Lance said, and the pair turned. The red-head was smiling at the couple. "Welcome to the elite four."

Ash closed his eyes for a moment. "I can't believe I actually won." He admitted. "Although, if you're going on technicalities my five Pokémon won instead of me."

"I can't believe you only used five." Lance grumbled. "Out of curiosity what was your sixth choice?"

"Charizard is my sixth actually." Ash admitted, nervously. "I only have five electric types."

Lance rolled his eyes. "So you beat the elite four with only five Pokémon in your arsenal? Not even a back-up Elekid or something?"

Ash winced, scratching the back of his head nervously.

The champion sighed. "Cynthia is never going to let me live this down."

Having heard his name mentioned, the snoozing dragon had stretched and stood proudly behind his trainer, playfully snatching at his trainer's head, great teeth catching the red and black peaked cap, which he then tossed in the air.

"Give that back!" Ash complained, snatching for it, but missed as Shard tossed it higher, flames building in his throat.

"Hey!" Ash complained, wide eyed as he observed the demise of his hat, as his dragon tossed it in the air, and then roasted it with a flamethrower. "Charizard! You just roasted my hat!" he observed the ashen pieces drift to earth.

"It's time you grew out of it." Misty teased him.

Ash glared at her. "You can talk. You still kept my original one from when I was ten as a, and I quote, 'memento of our journey'."

Misty hit him.

* * *

><p>The celebrations of new elite continued long into the night. Ash had spoken with Lance, and they had mutually agreed that the dragon tamer could stay champion, and Ash would act as an elite, being viable to play the champion role if needed. The pair had a lot in common, beyond their similarities for mass destruction.<p>

"SECTION?" Ash asked, "What does it stand for?"

Lance was explaining the roles of the league and their more military section, for which he was trying to recruit Ash. He shrugged. "Don't know. Ask Lorelei, she's better at remembering this sort of this. You practically work for them already, being a guardian, and since you won't be an elite full time."

"Well." Ash considered. "It sounds safer than anything I did with Riley."

Lance laughed. "You say that now. What did he teach you anyway?"

"How to dodge rocks while blindfolded," Ash listed off, "Various ways to make things explode. The basics of aura, forming spheres, blades, shields, elemental attacks… The good and bad things about Cynthia Shirona…" he paused guiltily, "Did I say that last one out loud?"

"Want to spar sometime?" Lance asked, grinning. "As part of the Blackthorn Clan I know how to wield a sword."

"Sure." Ash agreed, never quite realising how much he might regret it later, after discovering that the dragon master liked to used gasoline to set his blade alight, along with swapping his blade for various hedge cutting implements, which were all but lethal in the champion's hands.

Later that evening, nearing midnight, and after a full dusk of seeking out his friends from the crowd of people he might have met maybe one or twice, he found his childhood friend, standing outside.

"Hey! Gary!" Ash called out to the researcher standing on the cliff edge. "Are you okay?"

The spiky haired man nodded. "Sure am, Ashy-boy. That was pretty good battling by the way!" he smirked, "I could still beat you."

"You're a researcher." Ash retorted. "Yeah, right…"

"Actually," Gary winced, "I accepted the post of Viridian Gym Leader. I still have to pass the exam and all, but…"

"That's brilliant!" Ash smiled, "Go for it! I'll cheer you on – got it?"

"Really…?" Gary blinked. "You don't mind?"

"Why would I mind? And even if I did why would you let that stop you?"

Gary shrugged. "Don't know. Leaf wasn't too happy to hear about it."

"Leaf..?" Ash blinked. "Leaf Greene..? Our Leaf..?"

Gary laughed, "Yes, our Leaf, although she's more _my_ Leaf."

It took a moment for the new elite to process this before Riley's love lessons kicked in. "You… you're _dating_?"

Gary sighed. "I had hoped that you dating the Cerulean red-head gave you some lessons in the art of love." He sighed. "It appears not."

Ash rolled his eyes, instead pulling something from his pocket and examining it. "I'm glad we're back to being friends." He smiled at the broken half of a Pokéball.

Gary smirked, pulling his own half out. "Me to," He agreed. "So here's to the future, and hoping that everything works out okay."

And as the fireworks shot into the sky above Indigo, the pair simultaneously threw the broken sphere over the cliff.

* * *

><p><strong>September 2013 – Finally finished those damn battles! Hope you enjoyed them, and all cooed at the thought of Pikachu hanging onto a little red balloon in the middle of a battle. I totally stole that from the manga. I was definitely running out of ideas for electric types to take down the elite's Pokemon All moves are totally learn-able according to Bulbapedia, except for Luxray who defies all expectations because he is simple that awesome.<strong>

**The next chapter involves Ash, Lance and Misty's falling out and the whole Celadon Incident. You might notice that it's a lot different from any flashbacks that I included in the main story, but that's because the one was Ash's view on everything (and he lost his memory) and the other is Ash, Misty and whoever's present joint account of it.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews! You guys are beyond amazing! Pikachu gives you a red balloon in thanks!**

**Until next time,**

**~ Eclipse**


	31. Straining Point

**Chapter 32 – Straining Point**

"_It didn't take long to realise that something big was coming. We couldn't hope to have predicted how big, or how things would go downhill so quickly, so badly. Murphy's Law seemed to hate us, and Fate was sitting there and laughing as we fell from happier times into dark shadows, where bonds were threatened, broken, snapped and torn apart, leaving us all flailing alone in the big wide world." _Rai

* * *

><p><strong>("So that was how I began to work for SECTION, alternating between staying with Misty and my mom, and working simultaneously as an elite and aura guardian. The year or so while it lasted was the best few months of my life, spending time with Misty and my Pokémon."<strong>

"**Wasn't that about the time we got chased to Sevii by a very annoyed Domino?"**

**Ash paused in his tale, frowning. "Didn't we destroy her entire field of tulips and accidentally disgrace her in front of the boss? Maybe that that's why she was so angry."**

**Lance and Ash paused. "Nah." The champion shook his head. "Must be something else."**

"**We also had that little squabble with the plates." Misty reminded him. "Although you wouldn't tell me anything much, and I was trying to keep on top with the gym and anything the League asked me to do."**

**Misty had never technically joined SECTION, but she had been involved in enough events, even if she never had the official clearance.**

**Ash nodded. "Yeah, we found Team Rocket trying to use them and so began to collect them, much in a way we collected the gears. In the end though, we only had about three and we sent them to Cynthia and Riley, over in Sinnoh."**

"**Next big incident would be Celadon."**

**May instantly regretted speaking. "If you want…" she ventured. "We can skip that."**

**Ash let out a weak laugh. "You? Skip an important historical event? Not a chance. Don't worry about me – I'll get through it. Already survived the actual thing, the tale of it shouldn't be any worse.")**

* * *

><p><strong>[19:59PM] – 18<strong>**th**** July 2006 Cerulean City – Cerulean Gym**

Although Ash and Misty would deny it, they were actually really grateful for Brock and Rai for helping them get together. The years apart seemed like they had never existed, and the pair were as close as ever.

Of course all good things come to an end, and this relative peace was not meant to last.

It all started with the death of Misty's sisters.

The red-head sat in front of the video phone, curled up with her Marill. A fuzzy image of her boyfriend was visible, trying to calm her down, despite the miles between them. "Misty! Misty, take a breath. Shhh, don't cry, please."

"B-b-but… they're dead!" Misty wailed. "Lily and Violet… why did it have to be them? They w-w-w-were just in the wrong p-place…" she hiccuped, "At the wrong t-time."

"Come on Mist." Ash pleaded, "Smile. Lily and Violet wouldn't want you to sit here crying!" he tried to smile but seeing the red, watery eyes it turned into a grimace. "I'll be down there tomorrow." He promised. "Just stay strong – okay?"

She nodded weakly. "Come back quickly." She whispered, curling into a smaller ball on the chair.

"Always." Ash looked unsure of what to do, "I love you." he said. "And so did your sisters. Remember that."

Misty nodded weakly, as the signal wavered and the connection was lost. Leaning back she blew her nose, trying to stop the ebb and flow of tears.

Lily and Violet Waterflower had been on their way home from Celadon Department Store when they were ambushed by thugs. It was unknown whether they were petty criminals, or part of a crime syndicate. There was a scuffle, with their Vaporeon and Dewgong knocked out, and their official gym badge stolen. The badge had belonged to their mother, the previous gym leader, and had passed to Daisy, the oldest, and she in tun had passed it to the twins. Misty was meant to receive it next, as the official leader, but she had happily let the twins keep it.

Now they were dead, killed and even though she wasn't close to them, the pain of losing another family member struck her deeply.

She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself, blinking away tears.

_Knock Knock Knock._

In a moment of hope, she thought Ash had managed to get back already, but her mind knew it couldn't be him. Wiping her eyes down, she glanced in the mirror, rubbing at her red eyes, trying to get that glassy eyed look to leave them, before holding her breath and answering the door.

The champion spun around, eyes widening at seeing her disheveled appearance. "Misty!" he exclaimed. "Good to see you." he bit his lip. "I heard what happened." He admitted, "I'm sorry. I was in the area and thought I'd pop around for some support."

Misty nodded weakly. Having Ash as a boyfriend inevitably led to the introduction of his other friends, and she now felt comfortable enough to join in his conversations to May and Dawn over the phone. Lance took the option of appearing out of nowhere and raiding their food stocks; he had once appeared drunk and had to sleep on the couch. Although Misty personally didn't think it was as bad as Riley, who was trying (for some strange reason) for a gym badge, and somehow proved to be twice as destructive as Ash and Lance put together. He did win the badge in the end, although not the prize money, which Misty insisted on keeping in order to pay for the repairs.

She led the dragon tamer to the kitchen, grabbing a box of tissues to try and stop the new flow of tears.

"You look terrible." Lance observed, not unkindly. "Where's Ash?" he asked, glancing around.

"Up at the League." Misty perched on the counter. "Meeting with the Sinnoh elites. Why aren't you there?"

Lance had a 'oh crap' look on his face. "That was today?" he asked. "Uh, I thought it was tomorrow."

Despite the horrible gaping feeling of loss, Misty laughed. "Guess you missed that then."

"How you coping?"

She let out a bitter chuckle. "How do I look like I'm coping?" she spread her arms out. "This morning I was the youngest of four, now I'm the youngest of two. You… how can you just _lose_ two siblings? Gone. Just like that. I'm never going to see them again. They're never going to tease me about being the runt, or about Ash and I. They'll never be able to tell me stuff about Mom and Dad, when we were little, and…" she broke off, drawing in a shaky breath, closing her eyes.

She felt a pair of arms wrap around her, and she let herself lean into them.

"I'm sorry." She muttered. "I'm a mess."

"Don't apologise." His voice was steady. "Here."

She opened one eyes, watching as he opened a cupboard, pulling out two glasses, and then reaching to the back for the alcohol. How did he know where it was kept anyway?

He poured her a glass, raising his own in the air. "To Lily and Violet," He toasted, meeting her eyes. "May they rest in peace."

She wanted to say something nice, but the words stuck in her throat, so she simple lifted the glass to her lips and drank down the bitter liquid, letting it sting her throat and wash away the sorrow.

She wasn't sure what happened next exactly, several hours later after a few more drinks than was sensible but she knew that when she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine the hair she was pulling her hands through wasn't deep red but raven black and the eyes were brown and not silver grey. She knew she was moaning the wrong name, not matching the person, but she was in such a drunken haze of pleasure and woe that she didn't care.

She did care though, when she woke in the morning in the arms of the wrong guy.

It was only meant to be the one time thing. But when she found that heartache tearing inside her, and he was there, once again, her own personal drug, she found the guilt left her.

But after it came back twice as bad…

* * *

><p><strong>[07:59PM] – 31<strong>**st**** July 2006 – Cerulean City – Outside Cerulean Gym**

As Shard landed, Ash mentally thanked Cynthia once again, for causing a suitable distraction that almost certainly in no way involved her Garchomp in the middle of the city to create enough chaos for him to sneak out and bypass the morning meeting. Nope. No Garchomp involved. Riley and his girlfriend totally owed him that one. Lance after all, missed the meetings all the time, including the one with the Sinnoh elites, two weeks ago, because he had been doing something in Saffron with Silph Company. Ash wasn't sure where Lance had been last night, but it had almost certainly not been anywhere up near Viridian sorting out rare candy dealers.

Yawning slightly Ash recalled Charizard. He was careful not to dislodge the sleeping Pikachu in his arms as he thanked his dragon before turning towards the Cerulean Gym. He pulled out a key that Misty had given him, with a Pikachu keychain hanging on the end. Leaf had sent it as a gift, after the two had finally touched sides again after all these years. Mockingly, she had sent Gary a fluffy Eevee toy, which he had subtly gotten rid of by giving to Shard. The charred remains were now buried somewhere in Viridian forest.

Smiling, Ash slipped the key into the lock, turning it and slipping into the building.

It was good to be back, and he wished sometimes, that he was not so busy and could spend more time with her. It was worrying though, that the crime rates had begun to rise, and Team Rocket activities were becoming more and more frequent.

Misty would still be asleep, and Ash wished that Daisy had not moved to Vermillion with Tracey, leaving the red-head alone in the gym which was too large, without the presence of her sisters. Despite his best efforts, she still wouldn't talk about it with him, and he was worried about how she was dealing with the grief.

He moved down the hall, passing the door to the gym, and continuing to the main wing of the house. He almost tripped over Psyduck, sitting in the middle of the passage. Awkwardly shifting the sleeping rodent in his arms, he picked up the duck, to move him out of the way. As he did so he heard voices drifting down the hall way, and he paused, listening in.

"Ash will be home soon."

That was Misty. She was awake already, but who was she talking to?

"I should go."

What was Lance doing here?

"Look, this… I can't keep doing this… Keeping this double act up all the time…"

"What about Ash?"

Ash paused. What about him? The sleeping Rai 'cha-ed' in his sleep, and he held his breath, hoping that they hadn't heard. Moving forwards, he listened as they continued their conversation.

"I need to tell him. That it's over, and I made a mistake…"

The raven haired elite may not always understand everything to do with relationships, but even he understood what the words 'it's over' meant. He froze, heart stopping.

"How do you think he'll take it?"

Whatever Misty said next wasn't audible. Ash moved forwards, peering through the gap in the partially open door, the flicker of silhouettes just visible. Lance responded with something, and Ash paused, brown eyes observing the shadows, the taller one leaning down towards the slighter figure. Their lips touched, and Ash thought, if it was possible for a heart to physically break, then his might just have done so. He remained, paralyzed, watching from the darkness of the corridor.

"We'll have to just be honest, and tell him the truth." Misty said, and he saw her step back slightly. "Well, I'll tell him. Although I don't know how to tell him I've been cheating on him with another man…" she gave a hollow laugh, and Ash found strength somewhere to step backwards, away from the partially open door. Misty's voice was still audible as he made a beeline for the door he had just entered "You should go. I don't want you to be here when Ash gets back."

Dropping Psyduck next to the umbrella stand, the raven-haired man slid the door open silently, grateful that he hadn't locked it.

He was out of there, not hanging around to hear what she had to say. He didn't need her explanations.

It didn't mean that he didn't want them, to try and hear her justify herself, but he wanted to save himself the pain, that would inevitably come from hearing those words from her mouth.

He didn't know what he was feeling. Betrayed? Maybe, but his head was filled with such a kaleidoscope of emotions he couldn't manage to pin one down.

What had he done wrong?

He realised that there was latent anger, amongst the pain and sting of the betrayal. Lance was his friend, they would bicker and tease each other, watched each other's backs in missions and now he had gone and done this. _I trusted you!_

He had to get away, he wasn't sure where he was heading, before he realised that he could not continue this on foot, and summoned Shard, who looked at him quizzically but obeyed his frantic pleading to take him to Pewter.

It was only when they were flying over Mount Moon later, that Ash realised he was going to Pewter not to seek advice from Brock, but to plead for a mission that might take him away from everyone, so that he could delay interacting with _them_ for as long as possible.

It would occur to him only later that thought of going away and staying away, was far more appealing than it should have been.

* * *

><p><strong>[15:06PM] – 7<strong>**th**** August 2006 – Viridian City – Team Rocket Base – Prison Centre**

Staring at the grey wall opposite him, with bleak eyes, Ash wondered if he had been just a tiny bit reckless, when demanding a mission from the Mount Moon SECTION HQ. He probably could have been a bit more specific than 'anything' especially if it involved the League, trying to capture one of the Team Rocket executives who were meant to be in Viridian Forest at the time.

Naturally a single aura guardian against a squad of rockets hadn't worked out, yet for some reason he found himself not caring. He sat here, wallowing in his own little pool of grief for several days, trying to think about what went wrong.

The images of them together were burnt into his heart, and it felt like something inside him was broken, or missing. Some part of him was still trying to deny it, but the overwhelming facts were clear cut.

Misty had always been there, his rock, his strong fierce girl that he loved, even if he never realised it. She was the one to push him into working harder, motivating him towards his dream. Yet at some point, between then and now, she had taken a mallet to his heart, beaten it up and thrown it away.

The guy that he had demanded the mission from had looked scared of him, a desperate man trying to run from his problems. Perhaps had Ash seen the look in his eyes of a soul broken man, he might have understood why.

He should have expected it really. He always got up to the top of hill, before falling back down again. His whole journey had practically been a road of bumpy hills, up and down, over and over.

And now he had fallen, oh so much further than before.

* * *

><p><strong>[17:50PM] – 7<strong>**th**** August 2006 – Viridian City – Team Rocket Base – Boss's Office**

Ash had been dragged up from his lonely isolation cell, and now stood here, in this smart office with a cup of tea sitting on the desk, looking out of place in the otherwise immaculate room.

And like in those typical villain movies, a large high backed chair spun around, revealing the dark black (hadn't it been orange, before?) suit of Giovanni.

Ash tried to throw off his guards, but they were gripping his wrists behind his back so strongly that his arm was going numb. "Let go of me." He snarled, but the stoic grunts ignored him.

He glanced up, meeting the cold black gaze of Team Rocket's infamous leader. "Well, well." The man mused. "Ash Ketchum. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."

Ash's blood ran cold.

Giovanni waved to another grunt, which dumped a dull brown file on the table. Languidly, while simultaneously stroking his Persian which was curling on the arm of his chair, Giovanni leaned forwards and flicked it open. Ash could see his own name, printed at the top, along with the stamp across it reading 'classified' in bold, red letters.

"Those are League files." He snapped. "How did you get those?"

There was a dark laugh from the man. "You really think we don't have spies within the League?" he didn't wait for an answer, skimming through the information. "You're twenty years old, born May 22nd, an elite specialising in electric types, aura guardian, dating the Cerulean gym leader, an impressive record of _getting in our way._" His voice was icy. "Your main Pokémon is a Pikachu with above average power and a record of being trailed by the same three incompetents for seven years."

"What do you want?" Ash interrupted, glaring at the boss.

Giovanni ignored him. "You are friends with multiple elites and gym leaders, along with the current champion of Kanto. A member of SECTION and the League, partaking in various missions along with the one that finally persuaded me to give Domino to Galactic."

Ash stopped struggling. "Galactic?" he repeated. "What interactions do you have with them?" his eyes were wide. They had thought this was just Team Rocket, striking back, but if all these things were linked…

The dark suited man laughed. "You really think we don't have links between us? Although I'll admit, it was hard to get Maxie and Archie to work together, but one we managed, it did pay off. It is _so_ much easier when we are all working towards a common goal, or… at least letting them think that we are."

Ash was frozen. _All_ the criminals were working together in the underworld, playing themselves for power, while playing the League to get what they wanted? It seemed so unlikely, yet made much more sense than any reasons they had already tried to find for the increasingly organised and strategic crime.

Yet on this scale, all those seemingly individual robberies, and Pokémon smuggling, led to only one conclusion that even Ash could figure out.

The criminals were preparing for a war.

Giovanni was still talking and Ash hastened to listen to him. "You're in such a position of power, amongst your little group of heroes. There must be so much that you must know."

"I'm not going to tell you anything." Ash snarled. "I'd rather die."

He had died. He'd fought and died and yet somehow remained here still alive.

The Rocket Boss laughed. "That would be a waste," he chuckled. "Someone of your talents and your position…" His fingers reached up to stroke his Persian, while scattering some pictures across the desk. "But it would be awful if some sort of harm would befall them."

It took a moment for Ash to understand the threat, and then work out the blackmail in its entirety.

"You're _blackmailing_ me to spy for you?"

Giovanni smirked. "I'm glad we're on the same page."

The aura guardian stared, wide eyed at the boss, unsure what to do.

There was such a fine line, between good and evil sometimes. He had always tried to walk along the right path, but it twisted and turned so much that now he was beginning to doubt there was a difference. What was the League fighting for, against these seemingly impossible odds? The Teams had long ago been marked out the villains, the 'enemy' and yet to them, they stared back at the governing officials, and decided we were their opponents in this dangerous game of life and death.

Ash choked back a hysterical, dark laugh. Funny little differences, that made the whole world spin and knock your perspective out of balance. Here he was, stuck in the middle and not knowing what to choose.

He had fallen so far already.

What was a little bit further going to matter?

"On one condition," He met the Rocket leader's gaze. "You've proved your point." He nodded at the pictures scattered on the table. "I'll play your little game but you don't touch them." His gaze swept over the various people he knew. "Riley, Brock, Dawn, May, Max, Paul, my mom, Gary, Leaf… you don't hurt them in anyway."

"You're in no position to make a deal." The leader leaned back in his chair.

"Then I'll make a rather useless dead spy, won't I?" Ash scoffed. "Or you can agree, and I'll pass on what you want. Anything and everything."

Slowly Giovanni leaned forwards, plucking out the photographs of the people that Ash had named. "Just these?" he checked, narrowing his eyes.

"Lance and Misty," Ash added, feeling his gut clench at those words. "And them…"

"The champion and your girlfriend," Giovanni mused. "How quaint," He flicked through the pictures. "Okay then, I'll agree to your little deal, but if you don't keep to your side, then I won't have any qualms about a little…" he dragged the word out. _"Motivation..."_

A shiver ran through the aura guardian, and fought back the urge to flinch away, meeting the dark shadowed gaze. "Deal…"

A smirk rested on the Boss's face. "You need to remember your place." He said darkly. "You answer to me."

Ash couldn't help but feel like he had sold his soul to Darkrai, who stood here in place of a devil. The full impact of what he had just agreed to hit him.

_He had agreed to betray his friends._

Misty had betrayed him first, he tried to justify it. _It's to keep them safe._

The feeble excuses didn't help.

Giovanni was watching him, and he motioned to the guards to let him go. Ash stumbled slightly, but righted himself, using the desk for balance, and finding himself staring down at a picture of Misty, in a gym battle, he forced his head up to look at the Rocket leader. Said man had spun around to a screen behind him, and it flashed to life.

"Just to remind you who holds the power," He said. "Your little friends will be safe, for now, but if you try and double cross us in anyway… we'll know. We have spies everywhere." The leader was watching the screen, and Ash followed his gaze. It was a camera attached to the bottom of an air plane, flying over the sea. "And we aren't afraid to act."

The landscape in the video feed was changing, as cliffs appeared, and then grasslands and forests, following a river upstream.

To Pallet, Ash realised, recognising the landscape of his childhood. What was Giovanni planning?

He noticed the Boss watching him with dark eyes. "If it is any consolation," The man began, "We're not targeting your mother specifically. We're actually aiming for that senile old Professor. She was on your list but... well... she's just a promise of what to come if you don't follow through with your side."

The words weren't sinking in, as Ash watched the scene, watched the dark object fall towards the peaceful little village.

_No._ He lunged forwards towards Giovanni as the guards pulled him back. Time seemed to have slowed, in a mocking representation of what he had been researching with May and Dawn. He stopped shouting, after the first minute, realising that he could do nothing, he was helpless to stop the explosion, and fire and ash that choked the small village on screen.

"I told you." Giovanni watched him with emotionless eyes. "There is no bargain." He stroked his Persian, leaning back in his seat. "We hold all the cards."

He was filled with a burning anger at the arrogant boss, feeling a lust to let Lux have his way and rip out his throat. His mother was dead (gone) and he had stood there useless as she had died (burned). Was that meant to be extra incentive, to get him to co-operate or to just make him hate them even more?

Yet it worked, he hated to admit it, because the power the Teams (he wasn't sure when he had started thinking of them collectively) held so much power, and so much sway, and he didn't know when Dawn or Brock (Please Arceus let it not be Misty) might find themselves in a dark alley with a thug and a knife.

He'd lost his mother to the Rockets already, and he would bet anything that Misty had lost her sisters to them too. The Teams held so much sway, and the League, in their naivety didn't even know it. He was a pebble in the stream, trying not to be washed away.

He was failing miserably, floundering along, trying his best, but he knew that he, himself, had already lost his own, personal battle against them.

* * *

><p>Somehow, after he had been let out of the base with Pikachu and Charizard and dumped near Fuchsia, he had managed to avoid Misty and Lance. If the two had to admit the truth to his face so badly, then they could find him.<p>

People knew something was wrong, but they attributed it to his mother's death. She had been his only living family member, and they gave him the space he needed.

And Ash obediently, like a good little lapdog, passed Giovanni the information he needed, pushing down the feelings of guilt and reminding himself why he did this.

* * *

><p>"I don't know why you're doing this."<p>

"I don't expect you to."

"_Hey!_ Just because I happen to live here… _don't_ walk away. I want to talk to you. Have you ever considered telling your friends? They could figure something out, catch Team Rocket out now _and end_ this!"

"You think I haven't thought about that? I _can't trust_ them! Someone will find out, they might get hurt and I'll be in an even worse situation!"

"You don't even trust your friends that are the reason you're doing all this? Then… _why_…?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Just because I'm younger than you..!"

"You're sixteen, Silver."

"Your point..? You're only twenty years yourself. I can see you're mad at them, but I don't see why?"

"Oh go and play with your Feraligatr."

"Listen, I hate Giovanni just as much as you. I don't care that he's my father, he can rot in hell. I learned nothing from him other than how to steal and lie. The only good thing it got me was Fang, and I still would have ended up with him if I could have started my journey properly. My friends… Gold and Crystal… they taught me far more. Like the difference between what is right and wrong. You might think what you're doing here is right, by saving the people you love, but ultimately it's wrong. What happens when Giovanni starts to demand more of you? The next time he asks you to kill someone? Thought about that?"

"So what am I meant to do then? You tell me if you're so clever!"

"I… can't you trust your friends enough to confide in them about this?"

"No."

"So you're angry at them, I get that. I got annoyed at Ethan too when he kept beating me in battles, but it doesn't meant that when I need to talk to someone I can't put aside our differences (and trust me, there are many) to ask him, or Lyra for help."

"It's not the same, Silver. When did you decide to go into counselling either? You're not exactly the prime example or…"

"Okay, okay I get it! My life is messed up, growing up with that monster for a father, running away, and then being forced to come back here. But you can't keep this all in. One way or another it's going to come out, and you're going to be even worse off than you were before."

* * *

><p><strong>[19:54PM] – 5<strong>**th**** November 2006 – Kanto – Somewhere between Route 5 and 7**

* * *

><p>Lance skidded to a half, his eyes barely concealing his frustration. "Damn it," he rounded around, staring upwards. "We're trapped!"<p>

_Way to point out the obvious Lance,_ Ash mentally sighed, as he slowed to a halt, studying the ground. The rock face stared mockingly at them.

The champion stepped forward, looking at the seemingly impossible cliff wall. "There must be a way," he gritted his teeth.

There wasn't. Ash stared at the ground. He guessed in the end, it had all come to this, and if Lance didn't kill him first, then he was completely screwed. Pikachu shot him a paniced look, and Ash was reminded that he did have Charizard on him if it came to the worst. He shook his head, glancing at Lance. "There isn't a way."

Lance whirled towards him, confused. Of course he was, Ash was meant to be the one leading them to this supposed Rocket base near Celadon, to conduct a raid. Ash was the one who had come up with the information in the first place.

All false, of course.

The champion opened his mouth to question his friend, but a cry makes him stop.

"Rockets approaching from behind!"

Ash was still, and did not follow as the rest of the group moved backwards to fight. He and Lance stayed the latter looking for a way out, before releasing his pair of Dragonair, a male and female to fight. Lance looked once more at the cliff face.

"It's a trap Lance." Ash told him, watching dispassionately as a swarm of Golbat flew upwards to engage the dragon pair in battle. "There's no way out," his voice was monotone, emotionless and cold. He was trying to distance himself from the fact that the secret was out, and that after this he was on his own. He would either be dead by the end of this, locked in a SECTION prison cell, somewhere far away fleeing from the war or working for Team Rocket.

None of them were very good options.

Death right now seemed the most appealing.

On his shoulder the small golden mouse pressed himself to his master's head, muttering words of comfort.

Lance stiffened, "You were meant to be leading us to Celadon. How could you get lost?" He was confused and his eyes puzzled. He hadn't quite put together the pieces yet.

Ash shook his head again, "I'm not lost. This was always our destination."

It was always the destination, from when he had first agreed to that deal. He should have realised it would come on eventually, and he would end up stuck here, in the middle.

(Two friends stand at a crossroads. One picks the path to Hell built on good intentions and his friend is left with the gilded road of blood that leads to Heaven).

It took a couple of moments for realisation to sink in and even then the champion didn't understand. He glanced again at the rock wall, as if it would hold the answers for him. Then he whirled around, his fist flying out and he punched the raven haired man in the face.

Ash doubted Lance understood that he was working for the rockets, but the fact he had just admitted to getting them lost was enough. He didn't protest as he staggered backwards, staying on his feet.

"PikaChu!" (Stop fighting!) Rai exclaimed, leaping down and standing between the two men, red cheeks sparking.

They ignored him.

Ash rubbed his split lip, ignoring the blood, glaring at Lance, months of pent up frustration and anger bubbling to the surface, but he kept silent, holding it back.

He had nothing to say.

The sounds of battle drifted towards them, and Lance glanced backwards and then to Ash. "You knew the rockets would be here?" he asked, "You led us into this trap?" His cloak swirled around his legs as he stepped forwards. "It's a slaughter! You purposely led us here to be slaughtered!?"

Ash stayed silent.

Lance's temper caught up to him as he took another step forward, ignoring the sparking Pikachu. "Traitor," he snarled, through clenched teeth. "You _lying traitor!"_ He swung forwards with clenched fists and Ash backed out of the way, "How long?" he demanded. "How long have you been passing secrets to Team Rocket? How long have you been going behind our backs?"

"Three months." Ash spat. "But if you just get it through your thick skull and listen…"

Lance tried to punch him again but the raven haired man dodged.

"You don't understand," the aura guardian continued, trying to defend hisself. He hated seeing that look of betrayal in his friend's eyes, yet at the same time enjoyed ever second of it.

It was time Lance knew what it was like for someone to go behind his back.

"You don't see it, do?" he laughed, bitterly, spreading his arms out, "You never did!" the emotions swirling into his tone.

The pair began to circle each other, in a manner horrible reflective of their mock spars. "See what?" the dragon tamer snapped, voice rising in volume, "That you work for the rockets? Yeah, I see that now." He chuckled, "What I can't believe is that you agreed to it. You agreed to double cross us!"

Ash was frustrated at Lance's stubbornness. "Agreed." He repeated, "You make it sound as if I signed a contract." he coughed, spitting up blood to the ground. "I… They know _everything_, Lance. These little things, we've been trying to put down for months now aren't doing any good. It's falling before it's begun." He laughed again, a bitter sound. "There are spies, in _every_ layer of our system." He told the champion. "You really think we stand a chance against them?"

"We _did_ before you changed sides!"

Oh, how naïve. Had he thought that too, once?

"If you could just get it into your _thick skull…_"

Lance interrupted him, "You're a traitor! Trying to justify yourself isn't going to do anything to change that!"

"They killed her!" Ash snapped, dam breaking. "My own mother! She was meant to be safe, in Pallet, after all _nothing happens there._" His voice twisted to mimic the champion's own tone of voice. "So what do they do?" he mocked, "They bomb the whole town. Not that they were even after her. Apparently they were targeting Oak but _that failed._" He was so flippant, so past caring anymore.

After all what did that get him? - A broken heart and a shattered deal with criminals.

"Nothing we do is top secret." Ash drawled, "They know everything, anything…" his voice was bitter. Cold.

"You could have told us." Lance's tone had turned to pleading. "We could have turned this onto them!"

"Silver said the same." Ash mused quietly.

The argueing pair was interrupted by a call. "Lance!"

They turned to see a ginger haired girl racing towards them. Misty's turquoise eyes were wide with panic. Ash wished she had not been allowed to join them on this mission, and he had argued against it but was overruled. She knew the territory... north-eastern Kanto was her expertise.

And now he could get the chance to see the betrayal reflected in her eyes, as she found out the truth.

She shook her head, her hair flying, "There are too many of them! We've lost half the men already! We're doomed." At her words there was a loud crack to their left, as something crashed into the cliff top. Lance whirled around, eyes wide as he watched one of his Dragonair land, battered and bruised, and tumble down the rocky face, body broken.

(He fell down and broke his crown. Now he is King no longer).

Lance's head snapped around to Ash, "Thanks to _you_," he snapped, and Ash flinched at his tone, yet ignored the guilt that fluttered inside him.

Misty skidded to a halt, surprised, her head glancing between the two men, for the first time wondering why they were not fighting. Why instead of coming up with a plant to save the day they were here at the end of the path, staring at a cliff of dead hopes and fighting each other? "What?" she asked wide eyes. "What's going on?"

"How about…" Lance took a step forwards, "You ask this _traitor_ why we're here? How about it?" he glared at Ash. "Tell her then how you led us into this trap? How you've been passing secrets to Team Rocket for _months…"_

Misty frowned. "Traitor?" she asked, voice rising. "What? No, it's not, you're wrong…" she trailed off, seeing Ash's expression. "No, Ash, tell me it's not true, please, tell me it's not true!" she shook her head, trying to deny it.

"You could have told us!" Lance was still raving, "We could have _helped!_ You can't deal with everything on your own, all the time! I'm your friend! You're like my brother! You could have trusted us!"

"Yeah," Ash laughed bitterly, "My _best_ friend who is _so_ wonderful, he's cheating on me with my girlfriend." He snarled, eyes broken. Sarcasm laced his words like poison, as he glared at the pair. "When were you going to tell me that, huh? Or were you just going to forget about it, after I got captured. After all…" he continued, stalking to one side, "It's all in the _past."_

Lance and Misty's face mirrored each other's emotions. Shock. Regret. Panic. Denial.

The aura guardian curled his lip, vindictive for a second before it faded, eyes empty hollows. "Yeah, I thought so. You thought I didn't know what was going on? That I was just an idiot? You don't know anything…" His voice cracked. He'd agreed to this deal for them, and they didn't even have the courage to tell him what had been going on. He and Misty's relationship had been strained and taunt, after his stint in Viridian, but they had chalked it down to his mother's death. Neither Lance nor Misty had wanted to add another burden on top of that, unknowing that the burden was already there.

"No," Misty shook her head. "We were going to tell you. It's not how you think. We stopped, _months_ ago. It came and went, and we aren't together…" she stopped as he glared at her, seeing the broken look in his eyes. "Ash…" she whispered, before falling silent.

The three were suddenly aware of how silent it was, and that the fighting behind them had stopped. Lance's second Dragonair had fallen, but she remained alive, and Lance retrieved her, casting a torn glance at the dead male. Somewhere a baby Dratini was curled up, never knowing that it would never see one of its parents again.

The pounding of feet told of the rockets advancing, and Lance and Misty backed together, not trying to fight, outnumbered. Ash remained by his corner of the cliff, alternating between glancing at Rai, Misty and Lance and staring adamantly at the floor.

A red-head that wasn't wearing a rocket uniform stepped forwards, but Ash glared at him and Silver decided not to bother.

Giovanni strolled forwards, smirking at the three, standing there in awkward silence. "Good job." He shot towards Ash, "Didn't think you would manage it."

Ash didn't meet his eyes.

"You mind leaving us along for a little bit?" Lance said sideways to the Rocket leader, ignoring their situation, before glancing back to Ash. "We stopped." He switched topic back, "We broke it up. It was a mistake, and it ended. It was never meant to happen."

"Oh don't worry about excuses, Lance," Ash sighed, "I don't really care anymore."

Of course he cared, that was a blatant lie. He'd just learned to ignore it by now.

"Ash, please!" Misty stepped towards him, but Lance held her back.

"So that's why you decided to betray us?" he asked, gesturing towards the rockets, "That's why you turn traitor?"

"No!" Misty tried to deny it, "Ash, please…"

Giovanni had watched with amusement, but now he seemed to grow bored. "Can you lot just stop _bickering?_" he snapped.

They fell silent.

"Finally." He drawled, before glancing at his guards. "You know I have a way to settle arguments like these." He mused, turning his dark eyes to his grunts. "Kill the champion and the woman."

"No!" Ash moved, standing between Lance, Misty and Giovanni. "You said you wouldn't touch them!" Pikachu stood by his side, cheeks sparking. He considered the pros and cons of releasing Shard.

"I did say that, didn't I?" Giovanni smirked.

"What?" Lance took a step backwards, gaze flickering between the two. What the hell had Ash agreed to?

"You said you'd leave them and the others alone. It was part of our agreement!"

The Boss laughed. "Our 'agreement' as you put it, was for you to spy, if I didn't kill your friends." He chuckled. "You're not going to be doing much spying anymore, so I consider that agreement now void."

Ash stepped back. "Lance." He said, in a low voice. "Take Misty and get out of here."

"But…"

"Now!" he snapped, tossing Shard's Pokéball at them. "Go!" before spinning around, an aura sphere forming on his hand.

Lance and Misty weren't going anywhere, but Charizard took that moment to burst in a red light out of his Pokéball, and shield them, snarling at the pair.

"But what about…"

Shard growled, and the pair hastened on, hanging on tightly as the fire drake took the air in a rush of air.

A shot rang out down below, and Lance glanced down, trying to spot Ash, but he could see nothing in the chaos. Then Charizard pulled upwards, and away, and Ash was left behind, his fate unknown.

* * *

><p><strong>[22:15PM] – 5<strong>**th**** November 2006 – Mount Moon Base**

"Oh good," Gary said, distracted typing something into his computer, "You're back. How was the mission?" he glanced up, eyes widening as he saw, not the whole squad he expected, but two sole people limping in, followed by a dragon who could barely fit through the double doors. He recognised the smallish, but tough as nails dragon as Shard, Ash's Charizard. "What the hell happened?" he stood up, ignoring the urgent e-mail he had to send. He gestured for someone fetch a nurse, before moving towards the pair. Misty and Lance looked exhausted, battered and bruised. Blue eyes evaluated the scenes and he cursed, "What happened?" he repeated.

Lance sank into a conveniently placed sofa, closing his eyes. Misty flopped down beside him, but stayed the other side, as far away as possible. "It was a trap," the dragon tamer breathed, closing his eyes, "Ash led us into a trap."

The Viridian gym leader frowned, "What do you mean he led you into a trap?" he sounded puzzled. "They knew you were coming? Blocked the route?" There was a choked sob from the red head and the researcher glanced at her, and then back to the champion. "Lance." he said, voice dropping.

There was a long silence.

"Ash has been feeding information to Team Rocket for the past few months."

Another pause, to let the information sink in.

"What? No way – he wouldn't do that." Gary shook his head. This was _Ash_ they were talking about, the stupid naïve kid who slept in on the first day of his journey and had to make do with a wild Pikachu who had been found chewing the power cables of the ranch's generator.

He was also the grown aura guardian who had recently lost his only family member, and was a well-known elite and SECTION member.

"They killed his mother."

Well that might have helped, but why would he help them if they killed his mother. "The Pallet bombings?" he asked, for confirmation. When it was given he fisted a hand in his hair. "But that … oh _crap_… seriously? But we managed to get most people out… the Pokémon… my grandfather…"

"His mother died," Misty whispered, "They killed everyone just to prove they could. He… the deal…" she fell silent again.

The red head opened his eyes, looking tiredly at Gary, "There was some sort of deal, or agreement between Ash and Giovanni. Ash would spy and Giovanni wouldn't kill his friends." He scoffed. "More like blackmail, but Giovanni changed his mind and…"

"Wait, Giovanni?" Gary gasped, "The Boss Leader Dude was _there?_" he asked numbly.

Lance nodded wearily. "He ordered Misty and I to be shot, and Ash… he stood in the way … gave us Shard who practically kidnapped us…" he closed his eyes, "I should have stayed," he sighed, "I shouldn't have gone."

"They shot him."

Gary glanced at Misty, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, gazing at the floor. "I heard the shot, saw the blood before Charizard took off. Ash was checking to make sure we left, and he couldn't get a shield up in time." She broke off in a sob.

Gary leaned back, clenching his fists, "And Pikachu? He didn't have any other Pokémon with him… did he?"

There was a weak shake of his head. "The rat stayed with him. He gave Shard to us." Lance fell silent, before with great effort, spoke up, "Misty and I… we had an affair… about four months back… after her sisters died … it was only for about two weeks and we stopped but… Ash found out…"

He broke off at the fist which cracked into his nose. Letting out a gasp of pain, he reached up, trying to stop the sudden flow of blood. Gary was glaring at him, "You deserved that," the Viridian leader spat, "Champion or no – that was a down right idiotic selfish and cruel thing to do to him."

"We stopped!" Misty protested, "There was nothing there – it was always Ash! I just… I couldn't cope and he wasn't there…"

Gary shook his head, sighing. "Don't try to justify it. What's done is done… I just wish… Mew he's dead isn't he?"

Pause.

"We don't know." Lance admitted. "He told us to get out of there and we did. He's an aura guardian – isn't he? He should… be all right… shouldn't he?"

"I need to apologise," Misty whispered, "Because it was real… with him… and he probably thinks it was all a lie. It's not – it never was…" She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself, trying to hold herself together.

Lance offered no comfort, and Gary figured that Leaf would be a better person to help her in this sort of this. He stared at the pair of them before standing and walking away, "I'll get a team on it," he called over his shoulder, "We must be able to find something…" he mulled it over. Pikachu was probably micro chipped, and they might be able to track that. Pokémon weren't normally chipped, but after one Jessie, James and Meowth catastrophe too many Ash had taken the precaution, since Pikachu never stayed in his Pokéball.

Maybe they might figure something out, and they might find Ash.

There were a lot of 'might's and 'ifs'.

Whether they would find him dead or alive remained to be seen.

* * *

><p><strong>September 2013 - The conversation with Silver is really only there to show Ash's feelings. "Oh go and play with your Feraligatr." The character will not be making any more appearances (she says, and then subtly writes him into the background of a future chapter). It was his cameo in this story, although he got lines so it might not count. It is a bit ironic, that Silver gives Ash a lecture on morals, but I figure being cooped up at Team Rocket's base; Passerby Boy has had a strong change of personality. The friends he mentioned are Lyra Crystal and Ethan Gold, who are based on their manga and game counterparts, and I think they exist in the anime under different names. There's Marina (who is Kris), Jimmy (Gold) and Lyra (Soul).<strong>

**Don't hate Lance or Misty! Please! I love them and despite what they did, Ash and Misty made up their differences. Don't hate Ash either for his choices. I tried to make their actions all seem reasonable and not one of those 'we secretly hated you but pretended we didn't' plots that come out of the blue. Humans aren't perfect, and this just happens to be the point when these characters reach their straining point and break.**

**Thank you for the continued support!**

**~ Eclipse**


	32. Aura Storm

**Chapter 33 – Aura Storm**

_"After Celadon… well it all just went downhill from there. We found Ash, but he'd lost himself somewhere in the process, and I think everybody thought that by then he wasn't the same person anymore. They were wrong. He was the same, but more of a muted reflection, twisted and broken, until it was unrecognisable." _Gary

* * *

><p><strong>[08:35AM] – 7<strong>**th**** November 2006 – Kanto – Cinnabar Island – Cinnabar Laboratory**

He woke, eyelids flickering in the harsh white lighting, groaning slightly at his weighed, numbed limbs. The air was hot and dry against his parched throat, tainted with chemicals. His body was weak, unable to move or respond to his commands, and he felt paralysed… chained down.

There was movement in the room, but he couldn't find the strength to focus and look for whoever it was. There were voices, talking, but he couldn't hear what they were saying through the mind numbing fog.

He managed to twitch a finger, and as if setting off a response, it triggered the influx of pain, racing down his nerves like liquid fire, burning and consuming. His muscles screamed in agony, and he let his eyes flicker shut. He didn't think he could scream if he tried.

There was something horrible missing and he couldn't work out what, in the world of ice and fire. He didn't know anything else, other than the burning pain, for that was his world, and it was all he could recall.

It was all he had ever known.

He let out a ragged cough, something sticking in his throat. He had no idea where he was, no clue _who_ he was, and he knew that there should be something there, to fill that gap. People and faces that didn't exist, and if they did, the memories were so torn and shattered that he could not see them anymore. Random facts floated around, but with nothing to tie them down, loose leaves drifting down a river.

Who was he?

Through the haze of pain, he tried to search for imaged of his past, and somewhere between there and here, he slid back in merciful unconsciousness.

* * *

><p><strong>[09:47AM] – 7<strong>**th**** November 2006 – Kanto – Cinnabar Island – Cinnabar Laboratory**

When he next awoke, it was to muted voices drifting in through the walls. The pain was still there, but muted, as if he was used to it, and after a cautious twitch of his fingers, he realised he could move, albeit slowly.

There were still the missing memories, and even if he tried to search for them, they would flit out of his reach, leaving nothing but stupid, random knowledge and unrecognisable fragments. Curios, and souvenirs, of places he didn't recognise, creatures he should know well (Pokémon, his mind helpfully supplied) but couldn't identity.

He closed his eyes, and opened them again. In a sudden panic, he tried to sit up, to see his surroundings. It was a bad idea, sending the world spinning. He clenched his eyes closed again, drawing his knees up to his chest. He tried to control his breathing, calming the feeling of nausea and of utter confusion that reigned. Slowly, like a rocking boat the waves of pain and sickness began to subside. He cracked open one bright, pale blue eye.

He was alone, in a softly lit room, sitting on a mattress with a single blanket that must have been casually tossed over his sleeping figure. A single chair sat in the room, and soft light pooled in through the window. The man stared with only mild curiosity at the bars that crisscrossed the gentle sunlight.

He was wearing… well… not much in that department, but there were clothes scattered on the chair. He picked them up, running a hand over the fabric. They were clean, but somebody had failed to wash out the bloodstains out of the blue jacket, and there was a rip in the black t-shirt. He disregarded that, grabbing the clothes which he recognised as his own.

There was a horrible sense of irony to that. He knew they belonged to him, but he didn't know his own name.

Awkwardly limping to the door, he let his full weight rest on the frame, muscles beginning to seize up again. He tried the handle, silently snarling when it did nothing.

He was locked in.

He was a prisoner.

Well if he had it his way, he was going to get out sooner rather than later.

As if responding to his mood, the door handle glowed blue briefly, the lock clicking open. The man grinned to himself, and tried to slide through silently.

It worked all right for the first three steps, and then he tripped on something and found himself sprawling on the floor, unable to get up again. There were voices echoing around him

"I thought I told you to lock the door."

"I did! It's not my fault he's a bloody aura guardian."

An aura guardian; the man tucked that thought away for future reference. He was an aura guardian. The term came with images of rocks and blue spheres, energy, flowing through him like living fire, but not burning, muted and soothing like an ocean.

"He's a _what_?" Someone else obviously wasn't entirely sure of what it was either. "Why didn't you _tell _me? I have Lucario cells I could have used!" The voice complained, as the supposed aura guardian sat up, leaning on a filing cabinet and realising that even if he managed to climb to his feet and get out now, these people would get in the way.

He wasn't strong enough for that. Yet.

"Where am I?" he asked instead, glancing up and around the room. It was a series of science desks, with Bunsen burner taps and large lockers and shelves dotted around it occasionally. At the far end there was a large metal table, with cuffs to keep somebody chained down.

His blood ran cold.

A person appeared in his sights, wearing a white suit, with a red R on one pocket. The man blinked. That had to mean something. The person tilted his head, examining him, his hair a bright blue, one hand stroking his chin thoughtfully, but not speaking.

A woman marched up to him, a white dress similar to the suit making the raven haired man think it was a sort of uniform. Her red hair was shoulder length, cascading down around her shoulders. It was pretty, but something inside him told it was the wrong colour, too deep, too red and not enough orange. The raven haired man narrowed his eyes at the two of them.

The woman cast a sharp glance at her partner then smiled all too charmingly at the hurt man. "You're safe. We're in a lab somewhere."

"Safe?" he laughed, "Is that why I was locked in?" he glanced up at the red R, wondering what it meant. R. Must stand for something. Although why he pictured a talking cat and two more strangely dressed people reciting a poem was beyond him.

_"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light."_

Although there might be something in that.

"Cinnabar." He gasped out, not knowing why. "Cinnabar Island, Kanto South."

He at least knew what region he was in, thank Arceus. (Arceus? Wasn't that the big… thing… for lack of a better word, which tried to kill them? He wasn't sure who 'them' was, but then he wasn't sure of a lot of things.)

The two of them flinched, "How did you know?" the teal haired man asked, trying to be nice.

"No idea." He laughed. "I can't remember. Did you do that too?" he latched on to any images he could to try and taunt them reaching out through the darkness. "What do you do here anyway, other than lock people up? Cloning? People? Pokémon? Mewtwo?"

The last name he could actually recall quite clearly, what with that business with a storm and clones, and some sort of big battle. It was the clearest thing actually, that he remembered, yet he had a horrible feeling that before he came here, he had no memory of that incident.

"What did he say?" The whiny voice hissed. "What does that mean…that name…Mew…two…" he seemed puzzled.

The raven haired man opened his eyes, looking slowly towards where an elderly man, frizzled hair and wide, grey eyes was stooped over; glasses perched on the end of his nose.

Another man with purple hair and a crooked back sneered, "Probably another failed experiment that your senile old mind has forgotten."

"Shut up Petrel!" another man snapped his hair turquoise and a black cap resting on his head. He stalked forwards and glanced at the raven haired man who had started shivering slightly, glaring defiantly around at the five people.

"You can relax," the teal man said. "We're friends."

The raven –haired man curled his lip. "No you're not." He disagreed. "If you were I wouldn't be locked up, and you'd have answered my questions. I also wouldn't get this horrible feeling that you're going to steal my Pikachu." He paused, musing over his own words. "I have a Pikachu." He repeated, blinking.

The four with an 'R' on their clothing glanced at each other. Teal hair shook his head, "No you don't."

The man blinked calmly at him. "Don't patronise me. I have a Pikachu. Give him back."

They looked at him. He glared back. Purple-hair turned and shuffled away, not seeing the annoyed looks that his companions gave him. The red-haired woman rocked back on her heels, crossing her arms, "His attitude hasn't improved," she commented tartly. Her golden ear rings jangled.

"What can you recall?" the teal haired man asked, curiously.

The aura guardian glanced up at the considering. "Well I don't know who you are." He admitted. "Although I think the scientist idiot is called Fuji. The one who lost his daughter."

The scientist blinked, "I don't have a daughter," he commented, dryly.

The man on the floor smirked, "Oh he made you forget that too did he?" he asked, but provided no further information. He glanced up at the 'R' wearing people. "You're Rocket Executives." He noted.

"My name is Archer." The teal haired man introduced himself. "This is Proton." He gestured towards the turquoise haired man, "And Arianna." He motioned to the woman. "The other moron is Petrel."

"Hey!" Petrel complained re-entering the room. He dropped a blanket on the floor, kicking it forwards, and there was a pained cry from within. "Damn rat." The purple haired man skulked over to Archer. "Nearly shocked me before I could get the insulation blanket over him."

"KaChu," (Moron!) the mouse shook off the blanket, insulting the man with a beady glare. The raven haired man blinked.

"Rai"

The mouse turned around. Its fur was yellow and its ears spiky. The ears were tipped black, and the tail was notched through the middle with a large scar. Brown stripes rested on the mouse's back and two red cheek pouches sparked weakly with electricity. The base of his lightning shaped tail was also brown.

It was a Pikachu, but the blue-eyed man ignored this for a more important fact.

It was _his_ Pikachu.

Although why he had nicknamed it after its evolution he wasn't sure.

"PikaPi?" the mouse asked. (Brother?) It blinked and shook its head, as if there was a fly buzzing around it, "KaPichPikachu," (I can't remember anything) it announced sadly.

The man sighed. "I can't remember anything either." He glanced sharply at the men around him. "That was you too – wasn't it? Wiping my memory?" When there was no reply he threw out more questions, "Who am I? What is my name?"

"Well your mind wiping worked slightly," Proton remarked to Fuji, eyes gleaming.

Adrianna winced. "Slightly. He remembers enough not to trust us."

"Trust you." The man laughed bitterly, "Yeah, I'm going to trust someone who locks me up and experiments on me and my Pokémon, stuffing Pi in a cage and forgetting to feed him.

The scientist blinked, peering through his round spectacles, "You can understand him? Wonderful," he began to make notes.

Blue-eyes flickered distastefully over him, "I could always understand him," he commented and the scientist dropped his pencil in surprise.

Archer interrupted before the elderly man could begin to ask questions, "What did you actually do to him?" he asked, referring to the half dead looking aura guardian, but asking the scientist.

"I'd like to know too," the man remarked dryly, and with dignity for his current position, propped up against a filing cabinet.

The scientist pushed his glasses up his nose from where they were sliding off. He cleared his throat. "Well, we discovered some old fragments our Team had retrieved of Mew. Traces of DNA were achieved from the eyebrows of this legendary Pokémon and have sat in our system for who knows how long…" the scientist blinked, the confused look coming over his face again before he continued, "Well, we wanted to see if we could create a human poke morph. You were nearly dead when these four brought you to me. Two bullets lodged in your chest…" he whistled in amazement.

"You refused to die. Well, we expected you to anyway, and introduced these cells into your body. No idea what effect they will have," Dr Fuji sounded all too cheerful about this.

The man narrowed his eyes, his gaze dropping and looking in his reflection in a steel cabinet across from him; blue eyes and black spiky hair. He frowned, running his hand along his hair, eyes narrowed. The blue seemed wrong, unnatural, but almost as soon as he thought it, the blue shimmered into a brown hazel colour, colour shifting.

"Well what now?" the Executive repeated his question. "We have this man with no memories, who can do who knows what. Is he recovered?"

"I'm not going to work for you if that was what you intended." He remarked dryly, still leaning heavily on the filing cabinet, one hand supporting him on the ground. "You rockets can burn in hell for all I care." He winced, his muscles till felt like lead. The Pikachu had crawled over to him, chirping softly.

Dr Fuji shrugged, "You'll come around to our views in time," He blinked.

The aura guardian raised an eyebrow in doubt. "Really? I'll work for someone who forces Pokémon to evolve against their will and splices people's genomes with legendary DNA?"

"We didn't actually get your Pikachu to evolve." Fuji protested, "The thunderstone broke and reformed into what we call a light ball. I've never seen one made before and it was remarkable."

He said this as the Pikachu showed a golden sphere materialising on his tail. The inside swirled with electricity.

"A Light Ball," the blue eyed man murmured. Then his gaze flickered up to the scientist, "Can I see the Eevee too?"

The elderly man nearly fell over in shock. "What Eevee?" he blustered. "Didn't know you had an Eevee?"

He blinked calmly, "I do now," he spoke softly. "I'd like to see her now, before you chop her up to feed to any more of your monsters."

Archer flinched at this, blank face flickering with emotion before blanking again. "Just give him the damn Eevee. It's one thing less for us to worry about," he snapped, and Petrol scuttled away again to do his bidding.

He returned shortly, bringing a metal cage with a small brown fox perched inside, snarling and trying to bite his fingers. It succeeded and the purple haired man dropped the cage with a squeal. It clanged on the floor, and the fox struggled upright as it rolled sideways.

The fox was brown, but it had major faults, marking it out as different from others of its species. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice whisper 'clone' but the thought was quickly gone. Its tail was black tipped, as were the ends of its ears. Paler fur, like the colour of its fluffy collar ringed its ears, separating the black and the brown, and its paw tips were the same colour. Its dark eyes stared angrily around at the grunts, a vicious snarl ripping through its teeth.

"Hey there," Red sat up, wincing and with one hand he opened the cage. The small fox's eyes widened.

The people expected it to lunge for his fingers as they worked the clasp. But it crouched there, "VuiEve?" (What are you doing?)

"Helping."

The cage door swung open. The fox blinked. Then it leapt over to where Pikachu was sat. Its ears were pressed back against its head and its eyes were wide but it squeaked something at the raven haired man. "Evee Eee Vui," It nodded its head in respect towards the raven haired man. (You're different from the rest.)

He smiled gently at it. She trusted him.

Archer stepped forwards, observing how the small brown fox snarled slightly as he passed. He reached out a hand to help the man to stand. "You need to get up on your feet. Otherwise you're not much use for anything."

The guardian accepted the hand but his eyes narrowed. He winced as he stood and stood there for a few seconds before staggering sideways. Archer moved forwards to help.

"Dammit."

Archer blinked. The man was no longer in front of him. Instead he was now standing across the other side of the room having just knocked over a pile of papers to lean on. His hands clutched at the desk and his head span dizzyingly. He was swearing. His blue eyes glared angrily at Dr Fuji.

"What the hell did you do to me?"

Fuji's first reaction was elation, to reach for a notebook and start recording observations, but at seeing the deadly look in the nameless man's eyes fear began to fill him.

"I … the ability … psychic from Mew … you just teleported."

He decided to be blunt about it, but it obviously wasn't the best way, for the brown eyes flickered to red and then the man had vanished, the air warping around him, onto to appear in front of him, hands gripping his collar and shoving him backwards against the wall. The scientist struggled to breath.

Archer moved to intercept, but a sparking Pikachu leapt in the way, and Proton following his leader's example, managed to trip over the brown fluff ball of an Eevee.

"Put me down." The scientist demanded. "Now!"

"I'm not a dog." The raven haired man snarled, spinning around. He was vaguely aware that he had switched locations again, back to the desk with papers on. He dropped the white coated man upon it, limbs trembling with the effort. "How do you reverse it?"

The scientist laughed. "Reverse it? You can't! Why would you want to?"

Instinctively, the man formed a blue blade of aura, driving it into the desk and inch from the man's neck His limbs were shaking, but he stood firmly. "It might save you your life." He snarled. "Don't interfere." He glanced at the four executives. "Just turn around and run away, and I might forget you played any part in this."

"You can't change it." Archer scoffed. "And killing him won't help the fact you're now a freak of nature."

The dark haired man grabbed Fuji by his collar once more, whirling around and somehow managing to teleport back to the wall he had stood by earlier. Blinking disorientated, he shrugged. "Probably not," He admitted. "But it might make me feel better."

Seeing the look in the man's eyes, and observing the Pikachu and Eevee (why did he give the guy back his Pokémon?) Archer thought that might be for the best. The cherry on top was the sound of gunfire from outside. He cursed. It seemed like SECTION had finally managed to find their missing elite.

Although, he mused, as he backed quickly out of the room, along with the rest of his gang, if they discovered their precious aura guardian as he was now, currently listening to Fuji's screams of pain, they might not like what they found.

* * *

><p><strong>[10:17AM] – 7<strong>**th**** November 2006 – Kanto – Cinnabar Island – Cinnabar Laboratory**

Misty had insisted going on this mission. She had to find Ash, to know he was alive, and that he wasn't dead (she didn't think she could bear it if he was dead).

Lance had stayed behind, with Gary, but Brock with here with her, acting as 'gym support' which was just a fancy term for saying they were on Cinnabar Island, and rock types won out in the elemental rock-paper-scissors against fire.

So did water, but Misty, for some reason, didn't like the barren rocky island with a volcano as its main feature.

Brock had kept her back while they sent in the main forces, Pokémon ready for their commands. The building had been emptier than they thought it would be, the lab practically abandoned with the odd rocket grunt hanging around. The only problem had been the four executives, who had put up a fight, seemingly panicked, and managed to get away.

They still hadn't found Ash.

Gary had promised he was here, and she believed him, but she still couldn't help but wonder what state he was in.

She marched down the corridor to the room at the end, pushing open the door. It was a large science-like lab, filled with filing cabinets. Several doors led off it. She noted some soldiers gathered around a red mess, and turned away when she realised it was a man. A dead man, in a white coat, skin lacerated with what looked like a mix between knife marks and burns. His head lolled at an odd angle.

She recognised the signs of an aura blade when she saw it.

"Check that one." Misty gestured to one of the doors, trying not to think about that, "I'll take this one."

"Be careful." Brock warned.

The red-head grimaced, and glanced at the orange weasel by her side. Floatzel practically lived at her gym, and he was her partner for this mission. "Zel will look after me." She said, and the orange weasel nodded determinedly, before bounding towards the door, going first into the unknown.

The next room was dimly lit, with papers scattered everywhere, and gruesome diagrams on the walls. There was a small pen at the far side, next to a glass cabinet filled with various syringes and liquids. There was a metal table at the centre, with a dark shape perched on it.

"FloatzelFlo!" the water weasel bounced forwards, jaws parting in a grin. Misty caught her breath, and stepped forwards.

Ash was sitting perched on the table, with Pikachu and a brown Eevee curled up next to him. He was talking in a low voice to a pair of Kanto starters, a small Squirtle and a Charmander, with funny markings, but Misty could have sworn she had seen something like it before. An image flashed in her mind of _psychic-stone-clone-storm-island-hate-dead-tears_ and then it was gone, and she moved on, the thought already forgotten.

"Ash?" she called out and he glanced up. She flinched at his wary gaze, blue eyes wide.

Wait … blue…?

"Ash?" she repeated, quieter.

He blinked. "I'm sorry." He said, glancing around. "Are you talking to me?"

She nodded slowly. What was he doing?

"Who are you?"

"Ash?" she repeated, "What are you playing at? It's me! Misty!" she took a step forwards, and the little Eevee let out a growl.

She glanced at her boyfriend (was he still, after all that had happened?) and saw the look in his eyes. Her heart stopped. "I…I'm sorry. I don't remember…anything…"

It felt like her world was falling. How could he _not_ remember? All their times together… just gone?

He didn't know about her or Lance. There was relief there, but it was dampened by the overwhelming emotion that he didn't even know who Misty or Lance were. She was nothing to him. Nothing at all - just a name and a strange face that one might pass by in the street…

"Nothing?" she asked. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure," He shrugged, glancing down at the yellow mouse that mimicked his expression. "Do you know me?" he was staring at her, head tilted curiously.

Misty nodded mutely. "You don't remember anything? I … Are you okay?"

She saw him hesitate, but he nodded. "As well as can be expected I guess," He shrugged. "Sorry… you were Misty, right?"

The Cerulean Gym leader nodded. "And you're Ash Ketchum," she told him, feeling a bit stupid for doing so. "Aura guardian, electric elite…" the one person I love the most in this world…

She noticed the blood then that was staining the table, and his jacket, the same one she had last seen him in with the torn fabric from the bullet, but no wound.

He was alive. The relief ran through her and unable to stop herself, she launched herself forward and latched her arms around him.

Misty felt him flinch, and pulled back, hearing the Eevee growl and Pikachu squeak in alarm. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm just… glad that you're alive. I thought you were dead."

He looked so uncertain… so lost… but he nodded, accepting this.

"Come on." She took a step back. "Let's get out of here."

She didn't want to stay there for a moment longer than necessary.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:11AM] – 7<strong>**th**** November 2006 – Kanto – Flying over Route 1**

She couldn't stop staring at his eyes. They were the wrong colour, but every time he caught her staring, they would flicker brown, their normal auburn brown. Yet even as she watched they would turn grey, or green, constantly changing tones.

What did they do to you? She asked herself, but she kept her voice level as she talked about their journey together. She talked until her voice was hoarse, with Brock sitting there in the plane, talking alongside her, helping her story. He sat there and listened, trying to take it all in, but seemingly overwhelmed, and she could see that much of it was unfamiliar.

"I sound like I was a pretty stupid kind of guy." He said, at some point during her tale of their Johto trip.

"Incredibly," she smiled, "but that might be partly my fault. I used to hit you a lot with my mallet,"

"So you gave me brain damage," he joked, eyes, now green lighting up. But she could see the edge to them that wasn't there before.

"You remember Pikachu?"

He nodded his spiky raven head. "Yeah, he was my first Pokémon. We didn't get along. These idiots kept trying to take him away." Of course he would remember Jessie, James and Meowth, but not her.

It seemed horribly ironic.

"So what did you think your name was?" she asked, trying to see things from his perspective a bit.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I thought of a colour actually. I saw blood and I thought Red. That's what people used to call me. I know that. I was Red. There was a girl…Green and a guy with spiky hair…Blue."

She crossed her arms. "Really? People call me that too. Because of my hair."

"It's more orange. Pretty. Like flames."

"Uhh…" she felt herself heating up, "Thanks." Even if he didn't recall the fact that they were dating, and she hadn't yet enlightened him with that fact, he still seemed enraptured with her. Brock shot her a knowing look and she glared back.

There was a squeak from the Eevee curled in his arms, which he had kept with him. The Charmander and Squirtle had been taken by someone else, but the brown fox refused to leave her new master.

She winced as she saw Pikachu's now ragged tail. He must have got that in the fight.

Rai didn't remember much more than his master.

They landed shortly afterwards, in Viridian, and Lance was first outside to greet them.

"_Ash_," He moved forwards, as the raven in question stepped backwards, in alarm, and Brock moved forwards to explain. He looked so lost, and Misty wanted to comfort him, but what could she say.

"This is Lance." She told the aura guardian. "He's the champion, and a close friend."

You should know this already, she wanted to scream.

"Dragonite..?" Ash frowned. "No, I'm sorry. That's all there is."

Lance was staring now with horror at him friend. "That's right." He said slowly, "You… you really don't have a clue who I am?"

She could see Ash considering it carefully, thinking hard about it. He shook his head, and Misty's heart plummeted. She could see the champion's devastated expression, as he excused himself, whirling around with his cape billowing out to try and cope with this himself.

The Cerulean gym leader got the impression that Ash would do this himself, except he didn't know where to go.

* * *

><p><strong>[13:22AM] – 8<strong>**th**** November 2006 – Kanto – Cerulean SECTION Base**

She had taken Ash back to Cerulean with her, giving him his own room to sleep in, although he had shown no recognition. She had dragged him to the SECTION HQ to try and find a psychologist, but the raven-haired man had protested vehemently, and she had to settle for stealing Leaf's office to talk to him in.

Misty had considered joining SECTION, which was why she had been going on the odd mission, but after the disaster of the Celadon Incident, she had dropped the idea entirely. She'd stick to being a gym leader for now, looking after her town and its people. Ash included.

"So… do you remember anything?" Misty asked the raven haired man as they headed towards Leaf's office, having gotten mislaid the first time. She glanced sideways at him. He looked lost somehow, without his memories, and with only the pathetic scrap of brown fur and yellow mouse at his side.

Ash shrugged, "Bits. It's all jumbled together but… it sort of makes sense when I think about some things. Such as… you like water Pokémon… right? You… you have sisters? This weird guy tried to flirt with them… there was a giant vacuum cleaner…" he frowned, "No, that can't be right."

Misty let out a laugh, smiling. "You used to get stalked by these three idiots who wanted to steal your Pikachu. They used to come up with all kind of crazy ideas."

"They had this annoying… rhyme… they used every time I met them." Ash frowned. "Something like 'Blasting off at the speed of light' or something..."

"Yup – they called it a motto but it was their chance to show off really. What else?" the red head prompted.

"I don't know." The trainer blinked, shaking his head, "Things come and go. It feels like I'm looking at someone else's life… not mine. But… you and that red headed guy I saw yesterday – are you close?"

Pain welled up in the Cerulean gym leaders eyes. She had hoped he wouldn't remember this so quickly. That she would have time to explain, to reassure him, to tell him that she loved him.

She was suddenly aware that Ash had stopped walking.

"Hey?" she spun around, a smile on her face. "Are you okay?"

Please don't remember, please don't remember…

He looked troubled, but nodded, continuing on down the corridor. She glanced at him nervously, but followed. "The red-head's your friend." She told him. "The other red-head, not me…" She added, nervously. "Lance. He's the champion, I told you yesterday…" she paused, suddenly frightened. What if she managed to get Ash back, only to lose him again when he woke up once again with no knowledge of who she was, and she had to go through this again?

He nodded. "Champion with the Dragonite... Dragon user then?" he asked, "Blackthorn probably… related to…" he paused struggling with the name.

"Clair." Misty prompted. "Blackthorn City gym leader - They're cousins. Actually on that matter I think he's related to Cynthia who's the Sinnoh Champion. Half-siblings, or was it step…?" she frowned. "I get those two confused."

It was slow. Horribly slow to try and help Ash. And she hated to admit it, but she thought he did better without her nagging him all the time, 'What do you remember?' 'Do you remember this?'

But with each new fact he recalled, she knew he was beginning to see the larger picture of the puzzle.

* * *

><p><strong>[19:22PM] – 30<strong>**th**** November 2006 – Kanto – Cerulean SECTION Base**

He had come to her, scared and confused with the facts he was slowly piecing together. She had hesitantly told him what happened, during the past few months leading up to the Lab Raid. Now words, bitter and pained, were flowing between them. She didn't know who started it, but they were arguing, something which had been brewing for ages, and for a moment (just a moment) she let herself forget that he had lost his memories.

"You betrayed us!"

All the pain and hurt was thrown into those words. Why did he have to be so damn noble? He could have done anything… told someone… double crossed the rockets themselves… Why did he have to choose the path that would, and had resulted in the worst possible outcome?

"You betrayed me!"

And that stung, the knowledge that he was well within his right to leave her forever, yet still he stayed, clinging to what little he knew about her. There were times that his personality was reflected through the memory blank, but warped and distorted like a watery reflection. She could see the hints of his former self, and the hints of the love that they had, that she had had to let go during this period.

"You can't even remember!"

She saw him flinch; saw the eyes, a beautiful auburn flare to an aura blue, a visible reminder that something had changed. She was digging in, and she really shouldn't, but she was angry, and when she was angry or hurt she lashed out…

"It doesn't change what happened!"

She wished it did. She wished he could forget and they could be happy, but she knew that even if that fantasy worked, she would still remember. She needed Ash back, her Ash, and she needed him to forgive her.

Misty needed to forgive herself.

"No, it doesn't. And I betrayed you and you betrayed me so there - we're even all right! We made stupid mistakes and I regret every second of it!"

The raven fell silent, eyes wide and lost, the blue lightning until they were almost grey, stormy emotions swirling within. Finally he sighed, "Until I can remember everything this conversation is over," he spat, whirling around and turning away from her.

He was always running, she noticed numbly. If Lance wasn't avoiding him, then he was avoiding Lance. When she wanted to find him he was never around. He'd done that before, it was a personality flaw, to run away from issues like this. She had left him to journey alone, so he had run to Hoenn. He'd lost in the Sinnoh semis and so had hidden in Sinnoh and Johto until finally returning home.

Seeing him turn, stalking away from her down the corridor, running away once more from her, Misty thought her heart broke then - just a little.

* * *

><p><strong>[06:02AM] – 02<strong>**nd**** December 2006 – Kanto – Cerulean SECTION Base**

There were times when he woke up again, not knowing who he was. That always scared him the most, and he would spend the next hour or so with Pikachu and Eevee, Rai and Eva, just talking. He would solidify facts and names and images, preserving them in his head, trying in vain to fill in the blanks.

There were still gaping holes, and he would never admit this to anyone, but the blank soothing spaces of nothingness was preferable to the half-faded, static images which made no sense, holding only the emotions of a happy time long tone, or a tear once shed.

He still wasn't sure what the pretty red haired girl meant to him. It had been just under a month, since they had rescued him from the laboratory, and he knew enough to get a picture of her personality, but very little when it came to their relationship.

There was an overwhelming sense of betrayal, making him bitter and frustrated. Their argument the other day hadn't helped. He still felt a strange sense of endearment towards her, and he genuinely enjoyed spending time with her, if it wasn't for the looks she sent him when she thought he wasn't looking. It wasn't pity, it was stronger than that, as if someone had torn out her soul and he held it in his hands and it scared him, slightly.

Maybe it was pain. She had known him well. Brock had mentioned that they had been dating, before looking really guilty at mentioning it. She obviously loved him, and he would say he loved her too, but there was pain there too, hidden under layers of indifference, and he didn't know what to feel. She had known him for almost ten years, yet he had only known her for about a month, along with images and memories that felt like they belonged to a stranger.

The champion kept staring at him, when they met in corridors, and it seemed like he wanted to say something but could never find the words. The dragon tamer alternated between avoiding him or actively seeking him, the former to avoid the guilt that was plain in his eyes, the latter to try and help in any way he could.

He wasn't always that helpful either, and the guardian guessed that was why he spent most of his time avoiding him. Lance popped up a lot in his memories, but nothing helpful, lots of them torn and broken, and he was still picking up the pieces. Their best conversation had fallen into an argument. Half the words weren't his and the other half weren't either. It didn't take long before Eva had darted forward in a snarl, black ear twitching and his Dragonair had appeared, writhing and flailing.

They had battled, and he would have said it was a six on six except he didn't feel right, instructing Pokémon he knew, yet at the same time didn't really – ghosts of someone else's life. But Va and Rai were quite enough as it turned out to take down three of Lance's dragons – his Dragonair, and Altaria and they were working on the Salamence when Blue had broken up the fight.

No wait… his name was Gary…

He shook his head, staring at the sunrise; Eva curled up in his lap and Rai on his shoulder. There were times he almost didn't want to remember, and just wanted to leave this all behind. He hated seeing faces he recognised day after day, but with no knowledge of them. It was growing tiring, and he found he was spending longer seeking seclusion, to avoid the repetitive questions and pestering.

There was one thing he hated more, more than the pity, the looks people sent him when they thought he wasn't looking, even when he could feel the emotion pouring out of them. The worst thing was the teleporting.

He hadn't told anybody. He wasn't planning on it.

Misty, in between her endless questions and tales had asked briefly about the dead scientist (_he deserved it_) and what had happened_ (revenge)_. There was a strange lack of guilt surrounding that issue _(enjoyed it)_ and the man had gotten what he deserved.

Most people probably assumed he was just very good at disappearing, even he unconsciously split dimensions, pulling himself and his Pokémon through and out again. He didn't even think about it, and the hardest thing was not doing it without realising, when he stepped back in alarm. He had once, but the blue haired Platinum…

No wait… her name was Dawn…

The hyper coordinator hadn't even noticed so engrossed she was in telling him all about contests. He had been back before she noticed he had gone.

And so things remained the same, Sapphire _(May)_ and Platinum _(Dawn)_ regaled his in epic tales of adventure… Lance avoided him… Misty alternated between stalking his movements and vanishing from his sight… Blue _(Gary) _insulted him… Pikachu stealing ketchup… Eevee hiding… pictures began to creep back slowly, sometimes with, and sometimes without the annotations to go with them.

Some things would never come back, and others… well – he would have to wait and see.

* * *

><p><strong>[12:00PM] – 25<strong>**th**** December 2006 – Kanto – Route 1 – North of Pallet Town**

"What happened?" the raven haired man asked her, gaze switching around from the ruined dust strewn rubble behind him and the smoking rock out to sea. Maybe this had been a bad idea, asking to see this place again. Yet the memories were there now, if battered and faded. _(He needed to see)._

"You don't remember?" she asked, tersely, teal eyes staring at him, trying to work out where they stood.

Silently he shook his head, gaze switching to where Eva and Rai were playing in the dust. He was lying, but she wouldn't know. He just wanted to hear it, on this cold Christmas Day, hear her voice talking to him. He needed to try to reassure himself that everything was going to be alright.

"There was a bomb." Misty said, quietly, "Pallet was the home of Professor Oak, a renowned expert on… well… everything."

"Did they kill him?" He wasn't quite sure, whether the professor had died or not.

She flinched slightly, at the callous tone. "No." Of course he wouldn't. He'd live a long, aging life, while his mother died. Why was it that was how it always worked? "He was among one of the ones they evacuated to Hoenn. Gary, his grandson…"

"Blue." Gary, Blue, what did it matter? They were one and the same anyway.

"Yeah… him… he took over his grandfather's duties researching along with the running of the Viridian Gym."

The raven haired man turned to look out to sea once more. "What… why am I sad?" She was dead. He knew that. He had mourned for her months ago, yet the feeling of choking sadness still welled in his chest. He hadn't cared about the death of that scientist, but his mother… what was the difference? "When I'm here… it feels like I've lost something."

The red head tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, staring at some nondescript point on the horizon, "We couldn't get your mother out in time. I'm sorry." She was blunt, and he appreciated that. "You found her later, and she died of her injuries. You… you'd been on a mission to intercept some executive in Viridian Forest with a shipment of weapons. We… we don't know what happened, but you got caught for a week or so. It was then that you agreed to turn over information in… in exchange…"

He remembered that. It was easy enough once he pinned down the elusive event leading to that domino of events. Domino huh… wasn't there a rocket elite… ex-elite… he and Lance had burned down her supplies of tulips… He corrected Misty, keeping a mental note of that train of thought to revisit later, and follow. "I would spy in exchange for your life." His tone was flat, stating the facts with no emotion behind them. He wanted to see her reaction.

She swallowed. "And Lance's..." _(Why was it always about Lance?) _"They'd just killed your mother and you were… you were so angry. You were out all the time, training, fighting… I… was so scared of losing you and… Lance was there… we were drunk…" _(Try to split the guilt. She's guilty, she regrets it, she's trying to apologise…)_

"Don't." his voice cracked slightly. "Don't."

"About three months later…" Misty continued, as if nothing had happened, "There was another mission to Celadon, leading troops to the secret entrance to their base under the Game Corner. There… there wasn't one. It was a trap you'd led us into. We lost all of our troops to the rockets and injury bar me, Lance and three others. Five out of two score left alive. The rest were dead."

"And I ended up on that island." Ash stated, looking at the spiral of smoke. Was that Cinnabar Volcano in the distance, smoking like that? "With no memory..."

"It will come back." Misty expressed, "It has to! We're all helping and…"

"Misty." His voice stopped her words. "Some of it… I don't think it ever will."

And there it was: the truth. He was admitting to the gaps, the blanks that despite Dawn's chatter _(Platinum)_ and Brock's tales on love would just not fill.

They remained, cold, empty and black.

* * *

><p><strong>[11:50AM] – 4<strong>**th**** January 2007 – Kanto – Cerulean City – Cerulean Gym**

Lance had been avoiding Ash since the Lab Incident; it was obvious for all to see. Yet the memory addled elite didn't seem to mind that much, too busy trying to put his shattered memories back together.

They all knew that Ash had betrayed them, and Misty reckoned he had worked that out a while back, although whether it was because he remembered or because he had overheard people talking, she wasn't sure. Actually on that note Misty thought Ash had figured out a lot of things, but was staying silent, observing from a distance.

It was the only sensible thing to do.

Everybody knew Ash was a traitor. Everybody knew he didn't even remember it clearly. Everybody knew that the only reason they had amnesiac elite staying on base was because he had practically sacrificed himself to save her and Lance.

Misty and Ash seemed to mutually agree that he wasn't staying with her at the gym. They seemed to mutually, and silently agree on a lot of things, including letting the guardian vanish for long periods on end, before turning up with a sleepy Eva curled in his arms, or Pikachu chewing happily on a ketchup bottle.

Misty wondered, sometimes, whether Ash had ever intended to come out of that battle alive.

"Ash..?"

"What?"

The raven haired aura guardian turned irritably to face the red headed champion. Their last meeting had gone better than the previous, but the tension between the two was still obvious. From where she was standing, Misty flinched, and any other passing stranger immediately vacated the area.

Lance shifted uneasily, before speaking, "I'm sorry about before … okay? I just wanted to help you remember. You were acting so differently."

"I'm not the same person Lance," Ash said quietly, glancing away, "I might not ever be."

"I accept that. But you're still my friend and that's all that matters."

The raven glanced up, surprised, eyes a pale blue that even as Misty looked, they darkened slightly to a more neutral aqua. "So you don't care? That I'm not him?"

"You are him," Misty said, hesitantly, from where she was standing. "Your memories might define how you act but your heart defines who you are. You are still the man I fell in love with, even if you don't remember being the stupid kid who wrecked my bike. You still have the same heart, the same compassion to take in a Pokémon," she gestured to Eva, "And treat it like a best friend. You're still the same teenager who beat Lance five on six with a Pikachu that somehow knows magnet rise and a Luxray that sits through earthquakes."

"I thought we agreed to never mentioning that," Lance sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair, "I swear, I don't know what I was thinking giving you that challenge."

"Maybe you weren't thinking," Ash shot back, instinctively.

"Says the reckless teen who thought trying to wake up Lorelei at eight in the morning was a good idea and then got roped into what she calls a training session."

"You're just jealous you missed your opportunity to chase after me with a flaming sword."

"That was one time! One time! I was sick of having to dodge aura spheres ever two seconds."

"I didn't need you to teach me how to fight! Riley was a far better teacher than you were."

"Riley was your mentor. I was a friend trying to make sure you didn't get killed."

"What sort of friend attacks a guy with a freakin' flaming sword?"

"Pikachu," the yellow mouse sitting at Misty's heels gave a sigh. The Eevee next to him burst into laughter.

"He hasn't changed has he?" Misty smiled, as she glanced down at the mouse, "Look at the pair of them. Men. They go from arguing over something from one minute to friendly bickering the next."

The mouse followed her gaze. "Pi PiPika ka Pikapi. KaChuPi KaPChu?" (It's Lance and Ash. What do you expect?). He said, as if that explained it all.

And maybe it did.

* * *

><p><strong>October 2013 - I have no experience with memory loss, so you're going to have to accept my Ash, with an extremely patched and shattered memory. He can put things together, slowly and over time, but not without help. I also think he got a few of Mewtwo's memories in the transfer, due to psychic connections and stuff, along with the memories of the first movie.<strong>

**Interesting fact, Rai is in fact named after my own Raichu on my SoulSilver cartridge, who knows Volt Tackle after I successfully managed to steal Red's Pikachu's Light Ball, then traded the Pichu to Diamond and back to my restarted game. Yay for my thieving focus sash holding Pidgeot!**

**Hopefully now the reason why when Archer, Petrel and Arianna bumped into Ash in Saffron and immediately vacated the premises is now obvious. I imagine they were thinking something along the lines of 'okay, let's just turn around and run away from the homicidal aura guardian, because we'll die a very painful death otherwise'.**

**Thank you for the reviews. I'm a bit confused as to how this story manages to be on 82 favourites but only gets 2-4 reviews per chapter. For those of you who do – you make my day! Honestly, It's a great reassurance that you're still reading and enjoying! It's been a long ride, and currently I estimate three more chapters to wind up this massive story (I swear, I did not intend for it to get so long!)**

**Enjoy!**

**~Eclipse**


	33. Game Over

**Chapter 34 – Game Over**

"_Things just began to get back to normal, when once again they took a turn for the worse. In hindsight, we should have guessed, but if we had hindsight, things might have gone a lot differently, huh?"_ Va

* * *

><p><strong>("Then it was Indigo." Ash said, with some horrible sense of finality about his words.<strong>

"**We had that dinner first." Leaf reminded him, "The four of us."**

"**True." Misty mumbled. "I enjoyed that."**

**Ash smiled down at his sleepy girlfriend. "Yeah… dinner… it seems like so long ago…")**

* * *

><p><strong>[20:05PM] – 26<strong>**th**** February 2007 – Kanto – Indigo League – Restaurant**

"So what's the occasion?" Leaf asked, leaning into Gary's side as she eyed the dark haired man and red haired woman across from her.

Ash shrugged. "A new mission... You know how it is. I thought it would be nice to have a happy memory all together."

"Haven't got enough already?" Gary asked, raising his eyebrows.

Even touching on the awkward subject, Ash merely shrugged it off, staring pointedly off into the distance, and for a moment his brown eyes flickered to molten gold. "Not really. Things are still blurry, and I still find myself knowing things, even if I don't know how." He paused, frowning, "It's like a puzzle and I can see the picture but not some of the pieces. I don't really notice it though." The last bit was a lie, but they wouldn't know.

Misty grabbed his hand reassuringly and he squeezed it gently. His eyes fell on a yellow mouse and he sighed. "Pikachu's raising the ketchup. I'm gonna' have to pay for that."

"What?" Gary gasped, exaggerated, "Champion's don't get discounts on the food?"

"Shut it, you." The aura guardian threatened, standing, "I'm an elite anyway. Lance stayed champion. Uh… Excuse me a minute while I make sure Pi and Eva are okay."

Leaf frowned after him. "Nicknames are a new thing, huh?" she said, although it was more of a statement than a question.

The red head nodded, smiling sadly. "Yeah... His whole team have them – Amps, Lux, Arrin, Ter, Feral, Shard, Tristan, Cia, Sceptre, Lax, Saur, Coal…." She was ticking them off on her fingers. "It's mostly it's just shortening the name." Misty smiled, looking through the window to see Ash, with the yellow mouse and brown fox trotting around his heels.

"I'll go check he's okay," Gary said, gaze layered with concern. Ash was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, and Misty had seen for herself that his aura spheres could shatter bones, and ever since the Celadon Incident as it was known, and the labs afterwards, Ash had a startling lack of morality. Misty had managed to persuade him away from the more dangerous habits, but she knew that one part of the sweet innocent kid who started his journey so blasé and naïve was lost, never to come back.

She watched as the spiky haired Viridian leader approached Ash, the raven glancing at him before turning back to his two Pokémon. Gary's lips moved and Ash must have responded.

The dark haired man turned to face Gary, grabbing his wrist and putting something in it, and Misty could see his face, light angling off it, a deep frown set within it.

Gary unfolded something, looking at the object Ash had passed, before glancing up, mouth forming a question.

The aura guardian looked a bit lost, before whistling. There was a gust of wind as his orange Charizard landed, head cocked to the side, questioningly.

Whatever Ash had handed to Gary he snatched back and passed to Charizard who, with a quick sniff, took it in his great maw, snapping it up in a burst of flame.

The researcher asked Ash something again, but the other waved him off with a shrug. Misty frowned. That was odd.

She felt an indescribably sense of curiosity as to what Ash had shown Gary, but pushed it down, forcing herself to understand that he had his secrets, and she had hers.

And that was the way she was happy to keep it.

* * *

><p><strong>("Everything turned down hill of course." Ash was studying the ground. "We were found out. It was stupid though, to expect everything to work out okay. That sort of thing only happens in fairy tales."<strong>

"**It's okay now." Dawn tried to be positive.**

**Erika curled up, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Is it though?")**

* * *

><p><strong>[17:34PM] – 13<strong>**th**** March 2007 – Kanto – Viridian City – Viridian Rocket HQ**

"And why…" the orange suited man tapped his fingers against his chin, staring at the defiant, yet bound man in front of him. "Should I consider this offer of yours when last time you turned on us…?" He leaned forwards, elbows resting on the desk. "Hm?"

_You turned on me first. _Ash longed to snap, but he had to play the part, had to forget that, and hide behind the emotionless mask that slid into place all too easily.

"Because the League is going to lose," He stated, calmly. "You've proved that already. What's so odd about wanting to be on the winning side?"

The ex-gym leader smirked. "I'm glad you came around. I'm going to need a better reason than that though."

Mentally Ash winced. He hadn't wanted to use this excuse, but it would work perfectly, regardless of his opinion on it. "Misty…" he stopped, as if the word pained him, and maybe it did. "She's… she's with Lance… again…" The worst thing was the 'again' tacked onto the end, as if he wasn't, and never could be good enough for her. Then it was the lies, the blatant skin deep lies.

Giovanni smirked, a malicious thing which showed he obviously enjoyed Ash's false pain. "Prove it." Was all he said.

_Prove it._

Ash wouldn't think later, about the man he had killed. He would forget it, forcing it behind barricades and letting this memory drift through the holes, never bothering to fish for it. The person was not the first, this nameless person, but they would not be the last. They were however, the first in cold blood, the first who stared up at him with pleading eyes, innocent of all crimes, but Ash didn't care.

He tried to ignore the guilt pooling in his stomach. He'd managed a lack of empathy when it came to the rocket grunts, so why was this one any different? It was the same, theoretically speaking, yet so very, very different.

He reminded himself that he didn't care.

He already had blood on his hands.

What was a little more in the long run?

* * *

><p><strong>[11:48AM] – 24<strong>**th**** April 2007 – Kanto – Viridian City – Viridian Rocket HQ**

Ash ignored Silver glaring balefully at his back, as he stalked to Giovanni's office. For some reason or other the four rocket elites refused to deal with him at all. Not that Ash was complaining, but he would rather report in to Archer than the head honcho.

"They refused to take the bait."

"No?" Giovanni cracked open one eye lazily. "That seems to be happening increasingly often Ketchum. Your position doesn't really seem to hold that much weight does it?"

The League's little games weren't working, trying to send in a spy but unprepared to make the sacrifices to prove said spy's worth. "Goodshaw doesn't trust me and he's still running the scenes, playing puppeteer." Ash turned his general dislike for the twisted old man, who should probably be retiring in an old people's home rather than boss around the Kanto elites, gym leaders, gym trainers and soldier. "If you want me to get rid of him…" that idea was awfully tempting and Ash would have no qualms about that. Misty would be shocked, but what Misty didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

"No." Giovanni shook his head. "Continue as you are doing, playing both sides for what they are worth."

Ash glanced up, alarmed at the rocket leader. Did he just say what he thought…? At his feet Rai's red cheeks began sparking slightly. "Playing both sides?" Ash bluffed. "One side, the idiotic backstabbing losing side, yes..."

"Isn't it odd?" Giovanni spread his fingers. "That you automatically rush to defending yourself?"

Ash was silent, not knowing what to say. He wondered how the rocket boss knew that he had been passing information to both sides, enough to keep them happy but not enough to blow up in his friend's faces or risk his position as spy.

"You get one chance. Make sure you know what side you're on."

The boss narrowed his eyes, making sure that he conveyed the fragility of Ash's tenure with Team Rocket.

"Then its game over."

* * *

><p><strong>[00:53AM] – 30<strong>**th**** April 2007 – Kanto – Viridian City – Viridian Rocket HQ**

The screen flashed up with a warning sign, requesting a passcode. It beeped and Ash glanced up and around the computer lab in alarm. There were still no guards, but they were due to pass by on the hour. He had seven minutes left, to find the damn file that Lance wanted…

Pixelated data on screen showed Gary's Porygon2, temporarily lent to him for the specific mission. Eva was in the ventilation shafts, checking the coast was clear. "Hurry up." Ash hissed at the computer, hoping the data Pokémon could hear him, within the system. He glanced up against, meeting Pikachu's dark brown gaze, the mouse stationed by the door.

"Ka." Pikachu chirped, glancing out of the window into the corridor. A rustling made both human and Pokémon jump as a ceiling tile slipped out of place, a small brown head visible.

"VuiEe!" Eva squeaked down to them. (People are coming!) Her sweeping tail brought dust particles floating downwards, as Ash glanced at the screen.

"Can you get back to Blue?" he asked, falling into nicknames. It wouldn't do after all for anyone to overhear that he was in correspondence with the Viridian Gym Leader.

The screen flashed with a confirmation message, and the pixelated evidence that there was a Porygon2 hacking the computer systems vanished, leaving the screen black. Ash glanced upwards. "Eva!" he called softly. "Drop down!"

The fox looked at him anxiously before obeying, but not before pawing the ceiling tile awkwardly back into place, leaving a small gap for her to leap down through. She landed into his arms with a sneeze, dust coating her fur. Ash glanced at Pikachu who twitched an ear.

"_No one visible in the corridor,"_ Pikachu told him mentally, and Ash took the extra time to leap onto a desk to slide the ceiling tile back into place. Hopping down he moved to the mouse's station by the door, slipping it open. Rai leapt to his shoulder, Eva curled in his arms.

The guard's footsteps were audible now, along the pass of the corridor, and Ash slipped the door behind him closed, spinning around and making his way slowly down the corridor. Running would attract attention, this late at night. He turned off down a side corridor, and turned immediately to his left, slipping into a store cupboard.

"Do you think that will work?" Ash asked, closing the door behind him. He glanced at the room. "Store cupboard," He mused. "I like it." He glanced around a bit. "Bit bigger than they usually are; cleaner, too."

"Pika…" Rai grumbled, hopping onto a cardboard box.

"_How long till the signal?"_ Eva asked, pressing her small body against his chest.

Ash glanced at his watch, looking at the ticking seconds. "About… now…" he smirked, and on cue, a wailing alarm echoed through the building, likely rousing the sleeping grunts and rockets. "Let's go."

"_You'd have thought…" _Pikachu leapt onto a beam, pushing away another loose ceiling tile and revealing a dark space above him. _"That after all those films where people sneak in through the ventilation system… that they'd have learned…"_

"Yeah, yeah," Ash slipped… well… awkwardly clambered… into the roof. It was dark, and Pikachu let his cheeks spark slightly, providing a faint glow. "Now…" Ash stood upright, pausing to orientate himself. He had spent hours learning the roof plans and it better not go to waste. "This way…!"

* * *

><p><strong>[01:09AM] – 30<strong>**th**** April 2007 – Kanto – Viridian City – Viridian Rocket HQ**

He dropped down, after ten minutes of pained crawling through the roof. Dust clung to his dark hair, and behind him Eva looked like a shiny Pokémon, her brown coat dusted with silver cobwebs. Her brown eyes peered mournfully down at him from the dark hole in the ceiling.

"Wait there." Ash told her, as Pikachu hopped down. The room he had landed in was smart, immaculate, with well-polished wood and piles of paper in an organised system. The yellow rat pawed through a pile, sniffing at the ink. "It's designs." Ash told Rai, "Plans for buildings. Saffron, Lavender…" he moved forwards, opening the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet and sifting through its contents.

His brown eyes skimmed past the financial plans, the bank letters, and he slammed the door shut, moving up to the next one. Over on the desk, Pikachu was moving through the piles, tail nudging aside the paper. Above him, Eva looked down at them, and then shot a worried glance at the door which remained locked. It looked like innocuous wood, but a bullet would probably not penetrate it.

The alarm was still wailing, the rocket sectors still dealing with the false-break in along the far wing, and the file hack Porygon who was probably long gone by now. Giovanni would not be around for a while.

Strike hard, strike fast, and leave them sitting dazed, Ash had been instructed. He figured that this worked for the confused part.

"Pika!" Rai chirped, half sitting in one of the open desk drawers, pulling out folded design plans that were bigger than he was. Ash smirked, lifting them out of the drawer and onto the desk, looking over them.

"Great." He said, folding it up and pulling the next thing out of the drawer. It was another plan, and he folded that up as well. "Anything else?" he asked Pikachu, who was still sitting in the open drawer.

"KaChu!" Pikachu pulled out a file, 'top secret' printed over the front, temptation just sitting there. The mouse hopped out of the drawer and onto the desk, flicking the file open.

Some pictures were shoved in the front, paper clipped in, and Ash had to look at it twice before placing what Pokémon it was, the form was so weak and feeble. His hands trembled, tracing the bloodied image of the Mightyena, fur on fire and eating away at its own flesh. Below in an illegible scrawl words caught his eye.

He slammed the file closed, feeling sick, and the smell of sterile laboratory strong in his nose. "Not there." He muttered. "Not there."

Above him Eva squeaked a warning. In front of him the lock clicked open.

"Oh crap." He cursed, head still swimming with _pain blood fire_ as Pikachu leapt forward, cheeks sparking.

"Find anything useful?" Giovanni stared at him from beneath dark glasses, standing behind two armed guards, guns pointed at him.

Pikachu's sparks died abruptly.

Ash took a step back from the desk, leaving the file sitting there. "Nice reading materials." He joked, trying to ignore the flashes of memory threatening to drown him.

_Lab white specimen cut_

It hadn't been so bad, the usual trickle, but there had been times there had been too much. Too much information, images, too many holes in the images…

"_Friends are always in our heart…" A boy with glasses, sitting on the hillside… A girl with hair like fire… A friend for life…_

Above him he heard the tiny paw scrapes as Eva turned to flee. Maybe she would try to find help, but he doubted she would manage it. He just prayed to whatever deity was listening… to whatever deity who decided that it was time to return the many favours they owed him… help her… please…

"_of fire… water… and light… lest these three titans…" Blue Red Yellow Water Fire Lightning Song_

Pikachu didn't fight the Persian that crept up on him, the cat and mouse game. He felt the fight leave his master and he crouched there and waited … because they had a plan right? They always had a plan, a crazy stupid idiotic plan…

"_when every life… meets another…" _Friend Enemy Rival Friend Enemy Threat

As they bound his hands Ash wondered how things had gotten so far, so quickly, so serious… this wasn't just about three idiots and a balloon… this was about one madman and the world… it still seemed so small…

_Monster freak abomination_

He stood in front of him, the genetic freak and the madman, and one was one and not the other, and the only thing that made them different was what side they fought on.

"I'm disappointed." Giovanni announced later, as they threw him into a cell in their prison guard-room dungeon… "I thought you had made the right choice and picked the right side."

Right side Wrong side… what was the point when everything just led to more pain?

"Well what can I say?" Ash grimaced. "I didn't fancy working for the murderers and thieves, winning side or not."

Giovanni laughed, as he turned in the prison doorframe. "That's what we are? Criminals and murderers…? There's a fine line between your good and evil Ketchum, and you're walking it. There's blood on your hands as well as ours. Don't forget that." Then he spun around and the door slammed shut.

* * *

><p><strong>[11:34 AM] – 1<strong>**st**** May 2007 – Kanto – Indigo Plateau – Outside the League Ruins**

He stood there bound, half drugged on whatever they gave him to stop the cuffs snapping under the blue flare of aura. The world swam in monsters, him and them, and all he can hear is Misty, screaming.

Then it was real, and the air against his face was cold, and there was rain in the air, clouds overhead, thunder in the distance, and he was kneeling there, muddy, bruised, and bleeding, brown eyes sliding to blue to green to brown.

The silver blade which pressed against his throat was real. He blinked, the words hitting him and he swallowed, throat pressing up against the sharp blade.

"No, no, no you can't let them do this!" Misty was screaming, Lance physically wrapped around her to hold her back. The corner of Ash's lips twitched in the remnant of a smile as the red-head drags her backwards, whispering in her ear.

"We can't lose this whole thing just to save him."

It sounds terrible, but Lance knows that Ash would make the same decision if he were sitting there.

"He's more important than any of this."

You're more important than my life, Ash wants to tell her, but instead he shook his head. "I'm not Misty. You know I'm not."

She was crying and his gaze drifts away, unable to look at her when those sea blue eyes water and shed salty tears. In the mud Pikachu blinked up at him, and once more Ash prayed that Eva got away safely. "PikaPi." Brown eyes bore into him, trusting him to the end, even though they both know that they're run is over.

"Live your life Mist. Live it for me. Do everything you ever wanted and be happy. Promise me that you'll be happy,"

Giovanni was watching this life a soap opera, examining the scene with cruel amusement. Lance glared at him, stepping forwards. "You kill him this is war. And we won't hold anything back."

"Then we won't either." Giovanni smirked. He turns away, as if bored of the scene. "Throw him over the cliff when you're done." He gestures carelessly to the Indigo Cliff. Behind him the smouldering ruins of the Indigo League lie in ruins, the ragtag remains of SECTION scattered there. Cracks webbed the ground, some pattern to the chaos, and the sky grumbled, even though the storm doesn't break.

Ash doesn't think it will ever break – he can feel something stopping, something slowing… the aura of the world has stopped breathing, its heart has stopped pumping…

Pikachu whimpered.

His lip curled. "I hope you bastards rot in hell." He spat, and it came out bloody. "And then I hope hell spits you back out again so that I can send you back there myself," he'll see the hell fires before them, the twisted dimensions of its world before he crawls back out to drag them in.

Giovanni stopped admiring the view to glance down at him. "Finally found your tongue aura guardian? Are you ready to finally plead for your life?" he grabbed Ash by the chin, turning the raven-haired man to look at him. "You can… still join us."

It was a false offer. Ash had joined them and dumped them and joined them again. Instead he jerked his head out of the others grip, feeling the knife slip against the beating thrum of his pulse. "You can watch your back. Keep watching, keep waiting, because I swear on all those whose lives you have touched, I will hunt you down and kill you, inch, by inch until you scream for me to end it. You can send me to the far reaches of darkness but your days are numbered. You know it… and you'll spend the rest of your time on this earth, scared… because one day you'll turn around…"

Giovanni turned away, body tense and Ash stopped talking, glaring daggers at the man's back. It was silent signal, to the boy… man holding Ash. There was only a moments of hesitation and the knife faltered. Ash could hear Silver's muttered apology before it fire branded itself across his throat.

* * *

><p><strong>The Space In-Between<strong>

Then its dark and he's falling, and it's hard to breath and maybe that's because with his blood gushing out of his throat it would make sense except there's no pain and just not enough air and a warm body Pikachu Is curled against his side so maybe this is death or maybe this is just dying and death is just a blank pit of nothing he'd hate that because there has to be something isn't there something or was all that lies

There's black and white and maybe grey in-between and red eyes watch judgementally white collar like smoke around its neck and clawed hands like a demon Dark and its talking about time and space and temporality displaced and he's not really listening because he's dead obviously it should make sense except there's nothing there it's all in his head really this perception of death it's how he's trying to come with it and oh please Arceus let him not be a ghost he doesn't want to haunt lavender tower for the rest of his life

The thing laughs clawed hands reaching out and gripping his soul his life his spirit and dragging him back wrong and frozen and he's still got the pit tainting his soul as the white silver light faded and the thin air became thinner and colder and there was snow and ice and it was freezing as his vision slipped and he blinked.

And breathed… a starving lungful of oxygen like a dying man…

Alive

* * *

><p><strong>[00:00 AM] – 5<strong>**th**** May 2008 – Sinnoh – Mount Coronet**

Ash sat up, frozen, head swimming.

He was aware of three things.

He was dead. Had been dead. Maybe he was still dead.

It was freezing.

Pikachu was curled up next to him, shivering slightly.

And a black Riolu wearing a bag was staring at him.

Ash stared back. Make those four things.

Wait… what?

"_Who are you?" _The Riolu's aura swirled around him in waves of concern and wariness. "Rio?" he tilted his head to the side. (Are you okay?)

"Hello." Ash tried to say, but it came out as a strangled cough. His throat was dry and he tried to swallow. The small pup noticed and leapt towards a pile of snow, scooping it up and lifting it towards Ash, cupping his paws. The raven haired man smiled awkwardly, accepting the snow. It was cold, but melting quickly it soothed his aching throat. "Thanks. I'm Ash by the way, and this is my partner, Pikachu or Rai if you prefer." He gestured to himself and the snoozing electric type. "Where are we?"

The Riolu blinked red eyes at him. "Ruor? Ri OuOuLou!" (You don't know? We're on the Spear Mountain!"

"Mount Coronet?" Ash queried, glancing around at the snowy peak. There seemed to be nothing but cloud, the occasional pine tree and lots of snow and rock. "_Sinnoh_?"

"RioLu," the pup added. (Land of Creation), which translated to Sinnoh.

"Ka?" Pikachu stirred at Ash's side. Shifting uncomfortably. "KachuPi," he grumbled, rolling over. (Hmm… stop poking me…)

"Rai." Ash shook the mouse gently. "Wake up." He glanced up at the emanation Pokémon apologetically. "He's a heavy sleeper."

The quiet puppy just looked at him with those solemn red eyes making Ash shift awkwardly. Pikachu was right actually, there was something digging into him. He shifted, reaching for the rock that was buried between them and pulling it out, about to throw it aside.

He paused, fingers splayed on the rock, energy bubbling to life under the surface. The stone was dirty with mud and snow, and he brushed it off, light playing over the steel coloured rock.

"Ro…" Riolu reach out with one black paw towards it and then stopped, looking warily towards Ash.

"It's okay." Ash said to him, even as Pikachu opened his eyes, blinking at the snowy cold world.

"KaChu?" (What the…?)

"My point exactly," Ash sighed, fingers gripping the steel coloured rock shaped like a gear so tightly his gloved hands were turning white. "Hey, Riolu? What are you doing up here? Were you… looking for this?"

The jackal looked hesitant, and then nodded. "Riolue…." (My father…) he began, one paw touching his little bag where something pulsed in response.

Ash's gaze slid blue, looking towards the black jackal. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it before, the flaring pulse of aura resonating from the two gears. He paused then, because those were the only two flares of aura he could feel other than the thrumming heartbeat from himself, Pikachu and Riolu.

The hum of the earth's aura had stilled.

"Oh no." he whispered, staring at the horizon bank of clouds. "The gears… time…"

"Rio!" Riolu nodded frantically. (That's right!) "OuLoupRiRiRiO!" (Time shattered!)

The aching feeling in Ash's gut grew, and he looked at the gear in his hand. The feeling hadn't gone away since he woken up, burdened with the knowledge of what he had been told to do.

"_Must we?"_ Pikachu stared sadly at the gear. _"All of them?"_

"_Will you help me?" _Riolu asked using aura, reaching out tentatively to the strangers he had met on this cold icy mountain, bloodied and very, very dead.

Ash swallowed, his instinct telling him to go back to Kanto and look for Misty and Lance and Riley and Gary and he knew he couldn't do that.

What was the point when he just ended up at the end of it anyway?

"_I'm in."_ he sealed his deal with aura and emotions.

Up on that day on the snowy mountain, a deal was made between three beings, a pact of sort, to bring them together along a road of blood and pain and friendship.

_This Section Is Also Known Collectively As How One Fox, One Mouse, One Human and One Pup Got Out Of Sinnoh (Eventually)_

* * *

><p><strong>(Ash was looking uncomfortably at the wall, Misty's head resting on his shoulder, eyes open, listening silently.<strong>

**May had fished out her new Pokegear and snapped a picture of the cute couple.**

**The red-head blinked at the flash, and lifted her head slightly. "Hey!" she protested. "Give that here!"**

**May stuck out her tongue childishly. "Nuh-uh!" she snapped her phone closed. "This is blackmail!"**

**Lance rolled his eyes, and turned to look at where Zo and Luca were perched. The black jackal had pricked his ears at his part in the tale, while Zo was muttering mutinously about rueing the day she ever ran into the crazy trio. As the story had progressed, the others had fallen silent, not willing to interrupt. Now though the tension had eased. Leaf had gotten bored enough to steal Gary's journal and was flicking through it, doodling in the margins. Her boyfriend hadn't noticed, sitting next to Brock and Dawn.**

**Max was stretched out on the floor with the Pokémon and Erika. Rai and Va's little cub, Shadow, hopped forwards to sniff his hand and then scurried back towards the flea eaten couch Ash and Misty had claimed. The silver Eevee squeaked and Misty rescued him, cuddling him to her chest. "So next thing was meeting Zo?" she asked.**

**Lance visibly perked up, like a Houndoom with a bone tossed in front of it. "The Dragonite?" he asked eagerly. The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened, and he turned to see Zo glaring at him, with what was probably a Mean Look.**

"**We'll get there." Ash laughed at his friend's predicament. May promptly took a picture of it, before turning back to her keyboard.**

"**Okay guys. Shoot.")**

* * *

><p><strong>[10:06 AM] – 18<strong>**th**** July 2008 – Sinnoh – South of Hearthome City – Eastern Bank of Mount Coronet**

Luca didn't trust the pair.

It wasn't just the circumstances in which he had found them; it was the aura the pair gave off. In the silent world any living thing practically beamed out life and soul.

Ash and Rai though, were gaping black holes – an abyss in life. They were voids that shouldn't be able to exist, but did, just as silent as the still world.

Their flesh was living, their hearts beating, but whatever it was that gave him life and spirit and fire and a right to walk the earth lacked for them. They had pulses and spirit and emotions… but they were walking the path of the dead.

The fighting and steel gears pulsed in his bag. He didn't trust the pair with them a single inch.

It didn't help that the aura the human… Ash, he reminded himself… pulsed out a blackened, dead looking aura that tinged purple. It made his senses tingle and go numb, although now he thought about it that might have been from the Pikachu's reversed polarity of electricity.

Then there was the fact that trouble seemed to literally stalk the pair. They took about a month to get off the mountain; running into everything from Zubat infested caves to landslides and blocked routes. Admittedly the mountain routes had been unmaintained for travellers, since the war, and the open passes were crawling with Galactic grunts.

Now he was clutching the hood of Ash's jacket, said human pressed against a rocky quarry wall. It was an extended dig that reached out from Oreburgh, diggers realising they had gone the wrong direction and abandoning it. He trembled, wishing he was brave enough to stand in front of the human, pulsing out aura, the same was the Pikachu was sparking black electricity, but his limbs wouldn't work properly.

The beast in front of them growled, eyes narrowed, orange scales rippling over its body. The usually peaceable creature was enraged and highly protective, a nest of eggs and Dratini visible in the centre of the quarry which had been turned into a nest.

Riolu swallowed, looking beyond the snarling dragon at the rest of the pack.

_Was it even still a pack?_ He wondered, in a weird daze at their predicament. They had fallen into trouble, and the coincidence that they had quite literally fallen was not lost on him. Above them the narrow trail which wound south had given away underfoot, sending them tumbling right into the dragon's nest.

_Maybe it was a flight of Dragonites_. He considered, as another, even larger beast prowled forwards.

Ash was trying to reason with them, but it wasn't working. They were angry, scared, and their most recent experience of humans was the Team trying to enslave them and steal their young.

Luca didn't want to die here, killed by an enraged flying orange Barney!

"Listen…" Ash had his hands raised in a non-threatening gesture. "We'll go! We'll leave you in peace?" He was trying to emit a non-threatening aura, but it wasn't working so well with his deadness and all.

"RioLu!" he whimpered. (Let's just go!)

"It's okay," Ash whispered. "We'll get out of this. We always do."

"Oh yeah? And what's your great plan asshole?"

Ash stiffened at the voice, and Pikachu stepped backwards, ears flickering upwards. Glancing upwards Luca could see two dark eyes looking down at him. "RioIoRiolu?" (Who are you?) He asked.

"Your saving grace," the eyes mocked him, even as they glanced up at the snarling dragons. "Hey! Take this on for size!" she shouted, propelling her dark form off the cliff to land in front of them, a purple haze that was steadily growing in size.

It didn't stop growing either, matching the human, and then matching the Dragonite in size, solidifying to a large, silver Steelix.

The dragons fell back in surprise as the steel snake thrashed angrily. Ash was gaping, shocked, and Pikachu chirped a warning. "KaPi PikaPi!" (Let's go Ash!)

The raven haired man shivered, that odd feeling that Riolu had come to associate with teleporting washing over him, and then dissipating, obviously failing. Realising he was out of options, Ash turned to the side, throwing himself up the cliff to a handhold.

"KaChu?" (What are you doing?) Rai followed his trainer by grabbing onto a shoe and then scurrying up to sit beside Riolu on Ash's shoulder. "Pikachu PikaPika Pi!" (We should be going the other way!)

"You want to run towards the prize fight battle?" Ash asked rhetorically. "Yeah, didn't think so." He pulled himself up to a ledge, rolling onto it, and the two Pokémon almost fell off because of the jolted movement.

Regaining his perch, Riolu looked down to the Steelix-that-wasn't, frowning at the shape. The rolling body had clashed against the cliff, shaking rocks and rubble loose and with a hiss of surprise Ash pulled back. In the depth of the quarry, the leader Dragonite, a rugged orange scaled beast with battle scars and a missing fang landed in front of the silver rock snake with a roar, eyes flashing with a leer.

The snake paused, hesitating as its form shimmered into purple, shrinking back to its original size. The alpha Dragonite looked startled but advanced anyway, the rest of the pack growing restless as the rubble continued to rain down upon their home.

The small purple cloud coalesced into a dark purple and black midnight fox with a blood red ruff. Dark eyes blinked up at the fearsome dragon. "Uh… hello?" she whimpered, form lost as she shrank back.

The dragon opened him mouth and snarled. A bit of saliva caught the fox's fur, and she wrinkled her nose. "Dude. Your breath stinks."

The dragon launched himself forwards.

The fox darted out from beneath his claws, making for the cliff. "What are you waiting for you idiots? Climb?"

Ash hastened to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>[10:25 AM] – 18<strong>**th**** July 2008 – Sinnoh – South of Hearthome City – Eastern Bank of Mount Coronet – (Relative) safety**

The ground was shaking from raging hyper beams as the rag tag group continued to try to lose the dragons on their tail. Rocks rained down around them.

Somewhere, between running for their life and looking for shelter, the dark type had introduced herself as Zo.

"You're a Zorua." Ash had recalled the name. "The Illusion Fox."

"Rio?" the black Riolu clutched his hood, still perched on his shoulder. (It was an illusion?)

"That's right." She looked proud for a moment. "Master of Disguise!"

"KaPikaPikaChu," Rai muttered spitefully. (So much for your impeccable shifting). The fox ignored him, turning up her nose as she hopped to a lower ledge.

The ground gave another shake and there was the sound of wing beats. Zo pressed herself to the ground in alarm. "Quick!" she called, "Get down here before big angry boss dragon turns up!"

Ash slid down the slope towards her, jumping across a pile of loose rubble that looked like it was about to give way any second. A few lumps of gravel slid down to his left, where they slope grew progressively steeper before eventually evening out to a grassy plain far below. The raven haired man could see a dark shadow in the rock ahead, signifying a cave, and he turned to call Pikachu down.

"Ya' coming?" he called, feeling Riolu shift on his back.

Pikachu chu-ed softly and leapt after his trainer, landing part way down the slope. He hopped forwards, skidding slightly in the loose gravel, which slid away beneath his feet.

With a startled yelp Pikachu slid sideways off the slope, Ash lunging after him. "Pikachu!" he cried.

Behind him Zo rolled her eyes. "How are these idiots still alive?" she sighed, before shifting into a Pidgeotto and diving after the yellow rat. She scooped him up in her talons and deposited him in Ash's arms, before shimmering back to normal.

In Ash's arm's Pikachu was shaking, and Zo took a moment to observe what was wrong. The mouse had only rolled a few feet, his yellow coat studded with dirt and bits of leaf. The rubble slope was rough, but shouldn't have any lasting injury. His tail was bent at an awkward angle, something sharp and jagged resting on it…

Oh crap… Zo glanced down at the slope again, studded with coloured stones. Evolutionary stones, which usually were buried in the rock, had been shaken loose and Pikachu…

Pikachu had fallen right on top of a thunder stone.

* * *

><p><strong>December 2013: Umm... sorry?<strong>

**Okay, so real life caught up to me - a lot. I've been dealing with my application for med school, and that kind of takes priority over most other things, but now it's the holidays I finally just sat down and got it written. I had hit a wall with ending this, so it took a while. But now I've done, I'm just posting the last three chapters as a Merry Christmas gift to you guys, so you don't glance at this story any more and think 'I wonder what happened to that?' I said I'd finish it, and I have, so here ya' go. Also this chapter hasn't been checked for spelling or grammar so apologies for any errors.**

**So we've met Zo, and next chapter is where we'll meet Va. Well... meet here again.**

**Enjoy**

**~Eclipse**


	34. Journey South

**Chapter 35 – Journey South**

"_I don't know how he managed to last that long without dying. Then he tells me and Luca about his journey and it turns out he really hasn't. Ash is the sort of person who saves the world, but he knows that even he would never be able to manage it without friends. So that was what I was doing… being a friend. Someone had to look after his danger prone self after all." Zo_

* * *

><p><strong>[10:46 AM] – 18<strong>**th**** July 2010 – Sinnoh – South of Hearthome City – Eastern Bank of Mount Coronet – (Relative) safety**

The fox led them back to the main cliff path, and then to a cliff cave nearby. Ash was cradling Pikachu to his chest, the mouse shivering and practically glowing yellow and white. He seemed to be fighting the evolution, but the yellow thunder stone welded to his tail seemed to be winning.

"Hang in there buddy." Ash whispered.

The Dragonite's had missed them, flying on along the cliff. Despite this the black Riolu was still looking around warily in case they decided to come back.

"Put him down here," the fox instructed, tail flicking towards a bed of moss. "I'll find some berries or something…" she vanished towards what looked like a pile of shiny silver trinkets.

"It'll be okay!" Ash reassured Pikachu. "You'll get better and it will all be fine."

"Rio…" Luca told him. "IoRiolu…" (Ash… he might not get better…)

"Here," Zo nudged a berry forward, "To help with the fever."

Ash grabbed the soft fruit and squashed it between thumb and forefinger, letting the juice trickle into Pikachu's mouth, just as the yellow body trembled again, rippling white as sparks flew from the yellow cheeks. Ash fell back in alarm, narrowly missing a beam of yellow electricity. "Crap," he cursed, "Rai! Hang in there buddy."

The small mouse's body was trembling, static sparks shooting out everywhere as if a dozen light fittings were blowing out around him. Above them the sky rumbled with dark clouds.

"Oh dear," Zo whispered, as her fur spiked out due to the static. "He's coming."

The air was thick, and hung like fog, clamming up Riolu's aura senses and he flailed wildly, and Ash shifted back, away from the shaking mouse and towards him. "It will be okay." Ash said, slightly desperately. Riolu watched as his eyes went from blue to red to brown and then pales away to an eerie silver. "He'll be okay… he has to be…"

"_He'll be fine,"_ Riolu touched Ash gently with one paw, as the sky flashed with lightning. Movement in the light caught the pups attention and he looked down in the valley, spotting the shape of a man, green hair and baseball cap before the flash ended and the valley was dark again.

Too dark. He could hear the heavy beat of wings in the shadows, and the ground shook. Zo pressed her small body to the ground, tail drooping. "Oh Zekrom, Great God of the Storm, Defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the darkness… May Arceus rebuke the dark shadow, we humbly pray…" The storm flashed again, illuminated the dark shape which had landed on the cliff, red eyes and its tail like a fan of electricity and wind.

In the midst of this, Pikachu let out a pathetic squeak, form still shaking in spasms, yellow, white, yellow white… Zekrom closed his blood red eyes, and the storm seemed to pick up for a moment and Pikachu glowed.

Yellow, white, yellow, white, orange, white, orange… His form was twisted, thundered rock fusing with his body as electricity crackled over his form as it grew and shifted.

Red eyes snapped open triumphantly and then with a cry Zekrom was gone, vanishing into the darkness of the storm from which he had come leaving the group pale and shaky, and an orange mouse lying still on the ground.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, moving towards the mouse.

"RaichuAi?" the mouse crooned weakly, blinking open one dark brown eye. He blinked, tail twitching weakly before closing his eyes again, aura slipping into slumber. Ash sank down in relief, gathering the larger Raichu to his chest.

"Thank you," Riolu heard his friend's own whispered prayers. "Thank you."

And the storm gave one last flesh before abating, and the dark clouds stopped rumbling overhead.

"What… the hell?" Zo whispered.

"_I don't know."_ And Riolu didn't, but he did know that he was going to stay with Ash. The human had proved his loyalty to his Pokémon a hundred times over, and Riolu would do only his very best to try and earn that respect. _"But it's okay now. We're fine."_ It seemed so refreshing, such a good change.

They were fine.

And that was all that mattered.

* * *

><p><strong>[16:56 PM] – 18<strong>**th**** July 2010 – Sinnoh – South of Hearthome City – Eastern Bank of Mount Coronet – (Relative) safety**

They left that evening, to avoid any overflying dragons from spotting them, be they friendly or not. Zo watched them go with satisfaction. "Good riddance," she snorted, turning and heading back to her cave as they continued south towards the coast.

Raichu was moping quietly, his new whip-like tail wandering past his nose and making the mouse flinch away from the realisation that his worst fear had come to pass.

"It doesn't change things," Ash had told him eventually. "Just because you're different now, it doesn't matter to me. You're still me friend – got it?" and that seemed to help a little bit.

Raichu admitted to Riolu that he had thought that Ash wouldn't want him, that and he wanted to prove he didn't need to evolve to be strong.

"_Zekrom showed up because a thunderstone couldn't make you evolve,"_ Riolu told him in disbelief. _"The electricity in the stone wasn't enough to trigger an evolution – just make you sick and so Zekrom passed on some of his own power to you. I think you're just even stronger now that you've evolved."_

"RaiChu AiAi ChuCha," The orange mouse, frowned. (I used to have a light ball which I made from a thunderstone once. This new one… the pair combined were too much to handle though.)

And that was why Riolu stayed with the man and mouse that couldn't see their own worth. And even if he'd only silently admitted it to himself – he was with them now to the end.

* * *

><p><strong>[20:32 PM] – 23<strong>**rd**** August 2010 – Sinnoh – Sunnyshore Docks**

Their first attempt to get off Sinnoh and south to northern Johto failed spectacularly. They'd been sneaking about in warehouses south of Sunnyshore, and had ended up walking right into a Team Galactic conference.

Initially Ash had paused, listening in to their conversations while hidden. He'd been a bit out of touch with society since he'd died, and he was a bit behind on current events. Apparently Johto, Kanto and Sinnoh were the only war zones, with Hoenn declaring itself a neutral presence. Whole cities were being evacuated to the island chain, while the battling continued in the north. While Galactic inhabited Sinnoh, Rockets had taken over most of Kanto with only small patches of rebellion still existing.

Ash's heart dropped, and he wished more than anything he could be there, helping his friends out, with Lance and Brock and Misty… he closed his eyes, forcing the idea from his head. He was a dead man walking. Not to mention he was still stuck in Sinnoh. Priorities and all that…

* * *

><p><strong>[21:32 PM] – 23<strong>**rd**** August 2010 – Sinnoh – The woods west of Sunnyshore Docks**

An hour later, and still being tracked through the woods by Mightyena and Purugly they were getting desperate. It appeared Galactic had some Magma back-up of some sort and Ash had barely stared his attempt to hotwire the boat than he'd been caught red handed by the troops stationed on the boat. Cue awkward escape as Raichu thunder waved everything in sight and they made a break for it.

Ash paused to deflect a wave of bullets with an aura shield, and dropped it, teleporting the extra feet to catch up with Riolu and Rai. "RaiChu," the mouse teased him, before shooting a thunder back at the troops. (You're going to get flabby,)

"Says you," Ash scoffed, legging it over a log which lay awkwardly in the path, and then promptly tripping over the lump of fur which had been hiding behind it.

"Oh no not you guys again. You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

"Zo?" Ash staggered to his feet. "What are you doing here?"

"Ri!" Riolu darted past, pausing to hit the log with a blaze kick, setting it on fire. Zo bolted away like a fox with her tail on fire, and she seemed annoyed. Maybe because she wasn't a Vulpix, but who really knew with the sassy dark type.

"Run!" Ash skidded past the Zorua, dodging gun fire from the Team Galactic grunts as he tried to teleport. His form flickered, but a distraction of people shooting stuff at him didn't exactly help his concentration and he gave up, choosing instead to throwing himself into some trees, closely followed by Rai and Zorua.

"I prayed to never meet you again," Zo bemoaned as they continued to duck gunfire, Ash eventually doubling back in a shimmer of shattered air to reappear amidst their ranks.

Rai skidded to a halt, spinning around, cheeks sparking. He growled, stepping forwards a few steps, eyes dark and the lead runners froze at spotting the electric mouse.

"Oh cra-" the poor guy didn't get to finish as Raichu pushed off a tree, launching himself forwards, electricity cloaking him like a second coat.

"What are you doing?" Zo complained, "You don't attack the enemy while retreating!" He pleas went unheard as Riolu deflected some stray bullets with aura.

Dispatching the last rocket with a vicious backstabbing motion, aura blade dissolving, Ash spun around, relaxing slightly. "Maybe we should have done that earlier," he considered it and then decided, "Nah – too much commotion. Come on guys, let's get out of here."

"What?" Zo seemed alarmed. "No. No way. Why do I want to go with you?"

"Stay then," Ash shrugged, "But they'll be Team members here within the hour. Better clear out now unless they capture you – rare as you are."

"Wha…" Zo flailed, before spinning and jogging after them, "Wait for me!"

* * *

><p><strong>[05:23 AM] – 2<strong>**nd**** November 2010 – Sinnoh – Canalave City Ferry Port**

And that was how Zo joined the team. She's insisted it was because it was safer, staying with other people, but she'd later admitted "You guys are mental, but that is the most fun I've had in years." After Sunnyshore City proved to be a bust, Ash and his growing team crossed back over Mount Coronet to the other coast, and from Canalave they eventually hid on a large cargo liner heading to Johto.

"You're leaving?" Zo seemed almost disappointed when Ash explained his plant to her.

"We've got stuff to do, world saving and all that," he gave her a lopsided smile. "It was nice meeting you. I don't know what we'd have done without you."

"Oh you'd be screwed without me," Zo said airily. "That's why I have to come with to watch over you." she paused, eyeing them and their reactions. "That is… if you want me," she added, unusually timid.

Ash grinned, "Of course we want you," he reassured her. "Welcome to the team."

"Yeah yeah," she sniffed, "Just because I keep saving your asses."

* * *

><p><strong>[10:00 AM] – 12<strong>**th**** December 2010 – Johto – North of Ecruteak City**

"Land! I've missed you so!" Zo practically threw herself to the ground as they snuck of the ship after docking, so relieved was she to see it again. "Third time lucky huh? We finally got across that bloody ocean!"

"Zo don't swear." Ash chided, as they began ducking their way out of the shipping yard, careful of Team members.

"Blackthorn now? Right?" Zo skipped along, far too cheery for her own good. Rai perched on Ash's shoulder, while Riolu trotted along at his heels.

Ash nodded. "That's right."

And that was the plan. So when he found himself stuck in the rocket base below Mahogany Town he at least could honestly admit he had no idea what went wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>[14:07 AM] – 23<strong>**rd**** December 2010 – Johto – Underneath Mahogany Town**

"I hate you guys," Zo grumbled, skidding around a corner to avoid a torrent of gunfire. "I don't know what I was thinking, tagging along on your insane quest to find every possible spot of trouble and run straight into it!"

"Shut up and keep running!" Ash risked a glance behind him.

"RaiAi…" (This sucks) Rai stumbled, still unused to running in his larger form, despite being that way for almost six months.

"Well you said it and not me," Ash told him, Riolu clinging to his hood.

The door in front of him blew off its hinges before he got there and he stopped, mouth open as more rocket troops appeared through there. He cursed and threw up an aura shield.

"There are too many of them!" Zo whined.

"Have a little faith!" Ash grinned at her, an aura sphere on his palm. "Rai get the lights."

The orange mouse bared his teeth in a grin, cheeks sparking, and Ash enjoyed the look of utter panic on the Rocket grunt's faces, seconds before wild lightning filled the corridor.

"RioLu!" (This way!) Luca called in the chaos, gesturing towards a side door. Ash didn't hesitate, darting for the cold metal handle and yanking it open. It creaked as the three of them fell through it, closely followed by Raichu leaving the guards to deal with the chaotic lightning storm he had created.

"I thought," Ash groaned, kicking the door closed with his foot, "That I told you to get the lights, not to summon up a mini lightning tornado."

"RaiAi! ChuChuChuCha!" (So what! That was a brilliant move!) Rai looked way to proud of himself. "RaichuChuRai." (And that's a brilliant name for that move.)

Ash groaned, head falling back onto the floor, staring at the room he had fallen into upside down. He blinked at the metal cages glaring down at him, a horrible sense of déjà vu running through his mind and he shot up, spinning around to stare. The room he had entered was lined with rows of cages, small furry and scaled shaped huddled within.

Noticing this, Raichu's tail drooped and he let out a quiet chirp of sadness.

"What…" Zo looked sick. "What is this?"

"It's…" the words stuck in Ash's throat. "It's where they keep the Pokémon that they've been doing experiments on."

Riolu was already up, pressed up to the bars. His paws scrambled with the latch, and a small Poochyena pushed its way out, ears pressed flat to its head. It look terrified.

Ash wondered if he'd been in this situation before, freeing caged Pokémon from this place. "It's Mahogany," he breathed in realisation.

"This isn't wood," Zo looked mildly confused.

"No…" he shook his head, "They rebuilt this base… I was… I was here before. I just forgot… I guess…" he winced slightly, at the reminder of his autobiographical memory loss.

"Rai," (Hurry.) Raichu moved along the aisles. "AiChuChuRu…" (Let's get them out).

Ash snapped out of his daze, pushing himself up and over to where Riolu was unlocking door. Most of the Pokémon within looked weak, half-starved. "We'll get you out," he promised. "Then you have to stay together, look after each other, got it?" he told them, as a small Eevee pushed her way out.

He had moved on, letting out a Mudkip and some Unovan fire pig when the Eevee let out a happy call and jumped towards him. He froze, eyes widening.

"EeVui!" (Ash!)

"Eva?" he asked, as the brown fur ball fell into his arms. He blinked, pulling her fragile body close. He tried to remember when he had last seen the small cloned Eevee, and found he couldn't remember. "Eva?" he repeated, in disbelief as she nuzzled his neck gently, almost purring.

"VuiEeEeveeveeVee!" (I missed you so much!) she chirped as he gently slid her into one arm, to allow him to keep opening cages while taking in the sight of the ragged brown fox.

"ChuAi!" (Eva!) Raichu looked ecstatic, and if it wasn't for his own row of cages, probably would have been with Ash, covering the fox with licks and greetings.

"So I take it you know each other," Zo mumbled, as she pawed open the last of the cages. "Great. But we still have the problem of how do we get the hell out of here."

"That's Zo." Ash told Va. "She's a sassy Zorua from Sinnoh. And that's Luca. He's a Riolu from Orre. They've kind of joined our team."

His use of the term 'our' had the fox's eyes widening with happiness. She was shaking too, little body so thin.

"Uh, I hate to interrupt the moment here…" Zo drawled. "But hello? Rocket guards? Rocket _base?_"

"RioRioLu." (There's always the fire door.) Luca pointed out, and for a moment was met with blank gazes. "OrioLu?" (Or not…) he looked confused.

"Well way to mention that earlier," Zo sighed, and headed for the exit.

Ashe gazed after her. "So," he turned back to Va, "Want to tag along?" he grinned.

"VuiEE!" He didn't need to be able to understand Pokémon to understand what that meant.

The fire exit led them to a short corridor which shortly erupted out into the forest. The rest of the Pokémon scattered, while Ash kept an eye out for any Team members who had followed them.

There was a pained cry and he spun around. The little Poochyena that Riolu had let out at the start was pinned under the claws of a Persian. Several Team Rocket members stood there, holding guns. Ash sighed, preparing to fight.

"Move another inch and this little one gets killed," one of them threatened him. Ash froze. In his arms Eevee quivered.

"How about we think this through," he began, but any attempts to negotiate (either peacefully or aggressively) failed before they had even started when Eevee leapt from his arms, a growl bubbling through her throat.

The aim around her seemed to shimmer, and Ash stepped back in alarm. Even the guards looked surprised, when the image of the brown normal type blurred to purple. It sharpened suddenly, coming into focus on a pale purple Espeon who paced forwards, hackles raised. The red jewel on her forehead gleamed and her pupil-less eyes were glowing faintly pink.

"Not again," one of the guards sighed, moments before the Espeon jerked her head to one side; the Rocket's following the path like puppets on a string. They flew through the air, screaming something that sounded vaguely like 'blasting off' before the sound was cut off when they hit the nearby trees.

Hard.

Ash winced.

The Espeon turned to him, eyes wide and tail dropping. She looked scared. "EspeeOn," she murmered. (Ash?) "EespShpe?" (Say something.)

"Va?" he asked, crouching down. "Did you… did you evolve?"

The fox shook her head, and Ash's sigh blurred as she once again shimmered, but this time when it settled into a recognisable shape she was a dainty Leafeon. "EeLeafEon." (it just kind of happens)

"I don't care," he shrugged. "You're still that little Eevee I found on Cinnabar."

The fox looked stunned for a moment, before leaping forwards to press herself to him, purring as she twined around him.

Over at the side, Zo looked peeved. "I know psychic too," she mumbled. "I could have done that… why didn't I do that… okay guys! Enough with the happy stuff!"

Riolu scoffed at her. "RioRi." (Jealous.)

"Shut up."

* * *

><p><strong>[09:16AM] –– 6<strong>**th**** February 2011 – Blackthorn City - Johto - The Dragon's Den**

Riley would have liked a normal day for once. To wake up, go down to the route below Blackthorn City and check how the fighters were holding up. To check Dark Cave was still barricaded up. He sighed, wishing more than anything he and Cynthia were still in Sinnoh, but at least they were doing something useful here.

He would have been fine with a normal day. A normal day however, did not constitute of a very much alive Ash Ketchum falling into the lake of the dragon's den and being fished out by what he was sure was a pissed of Vaporeon, except when he blinked it was just a plain brown Eevee.

"Ash?" he asked in disbelief, because he had been sure on his last check that Lance had said that his once-student and now sort-of-adopted friend and brother was dead.

"I'm okay!" Ash's fist punched the air, then flopped back down as he coughed out water. "That is…" he coughed again, "The last time I try to teleport to somewhere I don't remember well."

"You teleported into the freakin' lake," a bedraggled ball of purple fur spat, looking disgusted.

Riley moved closer, "Ash?" he asked again.

"I'm fine Riley," the kid drawled, eyes half lidded with exhaustion. Palkia the kid looked like he hadn't had a wink of sleep in days. "Jus' misjudged my teleport. Be fine in a few." His breathing was evening out even as he was speaking, but suddenly it hitched and his eyes flew open. "Wait… _Riley_?" he blinked in alarm, and swore. "I'm in Sinnoh," he cursed.

"No." Riley corrected. "You're in Blackthorn City."

Ash's body slumped. "Oh thank Mew," he breathed. "Wait… what are you doing in Blackthorn?"

"Fighting." Riley blinked. "We lost Sinnoh."

"Oh." Ash swallowed. "That's… bad…"

"Ash…" Riley frowned, wondering how to broach the topic. "How did you end up in that lake? In fact… how are you not dead?"

Ash raised one hand up, now sitting hunched over. A Flareon was sitting next to him, keeping him warm and Riley wondered where the Eevee had gotten too. "Technically, I am dead." He said. "So don't get to excited, it's not permanent. And that's why I'm here. I'm looking for the dragon time gear of Blackthorn City."

And he just didn't stop talking. Riley briefly closed his eyes and wondered when his life had become so weird. The gear as it turned out, was easy to get, once the situation was explained to the dragon elder. Claire looked huffy about the whole business, but then again, Claire always looked huffy about things. Cynthia wasn't around, down on the route patrolling with her Garchomp.

"Where are your other Pokémon?" Ash looked around for them, and spotted only Lucario.

"My Absol is with Cynthia," Riley explained. "But the others… they got trapped in their Pokéballs after that incident at Indigo."

Ash blanched. "The time release," he concluded. "It doesn't allow the energy transfer so they just…" he waved his hands around. "Stay sealed. You'd need something to catalyse the unlocking of the capsule and to keep the Pokémon safe inside… I don't know how you'd do it." He shrugged.

Riley glanced to the Riolu sitting on the ground besides Raichu and the crazy Zorua. "Looks like you finally found an aura companion." He grinned. "And here I was expecting a Togepi."

"Shut up," Ash shoved him, non-so gently. "This is Luca. He's from Orre… he's hunting Time Gears with me."

"Ri!" the little jackal looked proud, and Riley frowned at his colouring.

"Why's he black?"

Ash shrugged. "I don't really know. We think it's because it's some remnants of an inverted shadow colouration, crossed with the shiny gene. Who cares?"

"Well I'm glad you've got yourself a partner," Riley glanced to Lucario. "I don't know where I'd be without Aaron to get me out of trouble."

"That's mostly what Raichu is for," Ash gestured at the orange mouse. "But Luca's kind of stuck around, huh?" he grinned at the black Riolu. "And now we're partners to the end, right?" he held up one hand and the pup jumped to his feet, high-fiving Ash back.

"RioLu!" (to the end!) he barked and was suddenly enveloped in a white light. Ash looked surprised.

"Wow," Riley breathed, "You… you're like an evolution stone Ash."

"Shut up," Ash said, but with no heart, too busy taking in the sight of his friend evolving. "Just why… why then."

"Because you guys are partners," Riley explained. "And that… that's special for an aura Pokémon."

"LucaRo!" the jackal barked at the light faded, examining his paws. He glanced up at Ash, seemingly pleased. "RoRio!"

"You look great," Ash still looked a bit numb to the sudden change.

"Ready to take on the world, huh?" Zo pranced up to them, giving Lucario a cautious sniff. "That's us! Team Free Will!"

Ash laughed. "You know what guys, I think we can do this."

"Vui?" (yeah?) the Eevee asked.

"RaiChu!" (Definitely!) Rai flicked his tail.

"To the end then," Ash looked so happy and sad while looking at his four Pokémon. Each stood proudly, looking back. They had the look, Riley realised, of soldiers going into a battle that they knew they weren't going to get out of alive.

"You guys are so sad," Riley muttered under his breath, but he didn't know if he was referring to their quaint little motivation speech or whatever it was that awaited them, across the border.

* * *

><p><strong>[14:04PM] –– 12<strong>**th**** May 2011 – Kanto – North of Pewter City**

"Look after yourself."

"You too."

Gary sighed as the video phone disconnected, the image of the red-head and his brunette girlfriend fading. Misty had done a great job, looking after Cerulean City right up until the moment the last citizen had been evacuated, but it had taken its toll on her. With the city empty, and Misty not an official member of anything really, she'd been caged like a mouse in the Cerulean Cave base.

Gary wasn't honestly much better, stuck permanently at his lab unless he was allowed down to Pewter to help out Dawn and Brock, or across to Cerulean to visit Leaf. At least he had a job to do, completing his research into the broken technology. Misty was like a twig in the ocean, lost and with no real purpose. He really worried sometimes about the broken red-head, and was grateful to Leaf who stayed and looked after her, making sure she ate and had something to do.

The researcher sighed and began his current report to send to Sabrina. It had been alarming when Lance had admitted that four of their gym leaders used to work for Team Rocket, but had switched sides a long time ago. While Koga was an elite and trusted unconditionally, and Lt Surge a soldier who threw himself into defending his home port, Sabrina still freaked him out with her psychic mojo. She'd been helping out Surge in Vermillion until Karen and Bruno had decided once more to try and take Saffron.

Sabrina had been re-stationed and then delivered the news that none of them wanted to hear. Re-taking Saffron just wasn't feasible. Despite this the psychic was ordered to remain there, and Gary wished they'd change the orders. Sabrina wasn't any use trapped in the capital.

And the final gym leader who had once worked for Team Rocket, and according to rumours had created an genetic project for them once. It made Gary's skin crawl.

Blaine was still missing.

He had been given up as dead, just like all other missing people in this catastrophe.

May had been stationed around Johto for ages before she'd eventually managed to get transferred across to Kanto before they closed the border. She'd brought her little brother with her, while her parents remained in Johto. In contrast Dawn had been in Sinnoh, and been transferred south some time near the beginning of the war. They pair had claimed to just want to be where the action was, but it was blatantly obvious to all involved that they wanted to be with their friends, and to be in the region he had been in.

Gary leaned back in his chair with a sigh. Nothing seemed to be happening very quickly, but at the very least they were together in all this.

Well… mostly together. One of them was lost forever and there was nothing that could be done about that, short of praying to Arceus or making a deal with Darkrai.

It would just have to work. They'd make it work.

* * *

><p><strong>[15:32PM] –– 12<strong>**th**** May 2011 - Johto/Kanto – Top of Mount Silver**

Barely a region over, Lucario let out a bark of triumph as he snatched up a clear crystal gear from a snowy mountain ledge. Mount Silver was a permanent hail storm, but this didn't deter the group, despite Zo's multiple complaints. Va just let her Flareon collar burn hotter, keeping them all warm and melting the snow.

"_And now to Kanto,"_ Luca turned to Ash. _"It's the first region. It makes sense that the most gears are there."_

"Now to Kanto," Ash muttered to himself smiling.

"_Back where it all began,"_ Rai pressed himself against his trainer. _"Here we go again."_

"_Together."_ Va said, eyes gleaming as she morphed into a Vaporeon, ready and fangs bared.

Ash glanced down at Kanto from the top of the cold icy mountain, the flying gear clutched tightly in his numb fingers. "We're going home," he said, tasting the word and liking the sound of it, repeated himself. "Home."

"Bring it on, assholes," Zo totally had to go and ruin the moment.

* * *

><p><strong>December 2013: This chapter did not want to be written, so if it seems awkward or clumsy anywhere, that is because it is. Still, it rounds up to the start of the main tale nicely, and covers what happened, if only vaguely.<strong>

**Thanks for reading,**

**~ Eclipse**


	35. What We Know Now (Looking Back)

**Chapter 36 – Epilogue (For Real, This Time) – What We Know Now (Looking Back)**

"_So maybe not everything is back to the way it was before, but we're not the same people we were before. We've seen stuff that before didn't turn up in even our worst nightmares. We can't turn back, because to turn back is to forget. Instead we have to go forward and remember." _Erika

* * *

><p><strong>[18:06PM] – 22<strong>**nd**** September 2011 – Pewter City**

"Do you reckon it's really over?" Misty asked Ash one day, eating out at a small shop that had opened in Pewter City, selling the most delicious noodles.

"What? The war..?" As Misty nodded, Ash continued. "No; because it's left scars on us all... Because no matter what we do, I can still teleport, Erika still flinches every time you mention Lavender, or the three birds, you still won't set a foot on Cinnabar and Lance has a fear of enclosed spaces."

Neither of them mentioned that while the fighting in Sinnoh had calmed down, the border to Johto still hadn't opened, and that sometime next week they were moving troops in to help. While Kanto had recovered, there were still piles of rubble littering the city, and Pallet was still a non-existent mess.

"Does he? What from?" Misty asked, referred to Lance's claustrophobia.

"Victory I think… I'm not really sure… May told me. I think it's a part of camping outdoors for so long… you feel trapped inside now."

"I love it outside. Spending time in the sun… I've missed the sun – and the stars! And seeing Togekiss again… it's been heaven on earth."

"Being with you," Ash admitted, as they were served their food. He frowned at the lilac haired waiter who positively jogged away from them.

The three who ran the shop were very odd, and kept shooting the couple strange glances, yet they found nothing odd about Raichu and Jolteon who were re-enacting a scene from the famous 'Lady and the Tramp'. Well, the pair would be, if it wasn't for the constant interruptions that they got from the silver Eevee nicknamed Shadow and the Pichu nicknamed Squall, which kept the parents on their toes. The baby Eevee didn't morph like his mother, although he had been known to use flamethrower.

The shop owners were still whispering and Ash thought he caught the cat talking, hissing; "Shut up! The twerps are looking at us strangely."

"Do they look familiar to you?" Ash frowned at the man, woman and cat.

Misty shrugged, "We've travelled all around Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. People are bound to start looking a little bit the same."

Ash shrugged it off. "I think I would have lost it." He admitted, after a moment in silence, eating. "Without you there... I would quite happily have died and not really cared about anything. But you guys… Erika first… because she was so innocent back then… when I rescued her from Celadon… she made me realise that there were still people… fighting in the war… individuals and not just the black and white of rockets and League."

Misty nodded. "I'm just glad it's over. Aren't you?"

The aura guardian grinned. "Who isn't?" he asked rhetorically.

"And everything is back to normal." Misty sighed, although the odd waiter chose at that moment to try and subtly steal away their plates. The Cerulean leader frowned but made no comment.

"Here at least," Ash smiled. "For now."

They fell silent, both too aware of how fragile this life could be.

"I was thinking… well Lance was thinking. When we get Johto up and running we were going to split the Leagues. Lance was going to re-create the Kanto league and dump off Koga, Bruno, Karen and Will in Johto with a new champion. Agatha and Lorelei are going to retire eventually… Hell Agatha's already the recluse of Mount Moon."

Misty laughed. They did this all the time, looking to the future and planning what would happen after Johto. It gave them hope that they were both going to come back okay from it.

"Maybe you can rope Gary into it." Misty suggested. "Leaf can take over the Viridian gym full time… I hear she's already mostly running it herself after we kicked the rockets out of it. That would leave him with more time for research."

"He'll get a big head." Ash complained.

"Like you don't. I still don't know how you and Lance are going to decide who gets to be champion."

"I'm an aura guardian. We don't get big heads because otherwise your best friend and mentor chase after you with rocks and flaming swords."

Misty gave him a wary look. "I've never seen Lance do that before." She admitted. "I'm starting to think you've imagined it all."

Ash scoffed. "I wish. Oh I wish. That's just what he wants you to think."

Misty smiled at her boyfriend, content and happy, because finally, everything was just perfect.

And she hoped to the depths of her heart that it would remain that way.

A perfect moment, frozen in time…

Or… maybe it might be better to let time just take its course.

* * *

><p><strong>("Aaaaand. That's it!" May finished typing, eyes lighting up as she scrolled up the finished document. "A total recap of the war, Ash's pre-war version, all in one document."<strong>

**Lance smiled at her and leant down to give her a kiss. "I bet it's brilliant."**

**"Depends," May shrugged. "Is Ash a good story teller?"**

**"He's fair." Lance grudgingly admitted. "Although it depends... Am I portrayed in a positive light?"**

**"Lance, you told your own sections." Ash sighed. "And you were present for the rest of the tale." over from where he and Misty were curled up on one end of the sofa, the other taken up by a Jolteon, Eevee, Pichu, Pikachu and Raichu in a muddled pile.**

**The champion opened his mouth to protest but realising it was true, shut up again.**

**"It was mostly Erika and Ash." May admitted. "It was their idea and they did all the general history and stuff."**

**"It was a good idea." Ash admitted. "Erika and I were just talking one day, trying not to forget anything, and we were arguing over how our conversation with Sabrina went, back when we stole into her gym. We finally actually managed to remember it as well, word for word, and Sabrina and Lance agree with us."**

**"The human memory is impressive." May smiled.**

**"If only it could remember the war and learn from its mistakes." Misty sighed, "We can hope, can't we?"**

**Ash chuckled. "Yes, we can hope. But for now, let's not worry about the future. Let's just think about the here and now - all right? How about that then…?"**

**The Cerulean leader smiled sleepily against the aura guardian's chest. "Sounds good." she mumbled. "Here and now. Me and you…"**

**"Forever..." Ash promised.**

**"Forever and always...")**

* * *

><p><strong>December 2013: Wow. Just... wow. It's been a long journey, huh? Thank you to anyone who stuck with me and this story all the way, and to anyone who took a few minutes to drop a review (you know who you are). Your support is what kept this going and turned it into the epic length it has finally finished at. I hope you enjoyed the ride, and am just sorry it took this long to get it all out. I love the story and characters in this tale, and thank you for reading!<strong>

**Over and out,**

**Eclipse :)**


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